Explore the Family Name Uy
The meaning of Uy
1. Chinese: alternative Hokkien and Taiwanese form of the surname 黃, see Huang 1. The dialects in which this form is found are spoken in Fujian and Taiwan, from where some people migrated to Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and other parts of Southeast Asia (see also 2 below). 2. Filipino: of Chinese origin, see above. Some characteristic forenames: Spanish Manuel, Mario, Domingo, Isidro, Rolando, Augusto, Ernesto, Gregorio, Jaime, Joaquin, Pancho, Rodolfo.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Uy in the United States?
The surname Uy has seen an increase in popularity in the United States over a decade, according to data from the Decennial U.S. Census. In 2000, Uy was ranked as the 11,680th most popular surname, but it rose considerably to the 9,003rd spot by 2010—a rise of about 22.92%. The total count of people with the Uy surname also increased during this period, from 2,461 in 2000 to 3,633 in 2010, marking an impressive growth of 47.62%. Consequently, the proportion of individuals named Uy per 100,000 people grew by 35.16%, from 0.91 in 2000 to 1.23 in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #11,680 | #9,003 | 22.92% |
| Count | 2,461 | 3,633 | 47.62% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.91 | 1.23 | 35.16% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Uy
When it comes to its ethnic identity distribution, data from the Decennial U.S. Census indicates that most individuals bearing the Uy surname identify as Asian/Pacific Islander. In 2000, 91.06% of Uys were of Asian/Pacific Islander ethnicity, and this figure slightly increased to 91.33% by 2010. Those identifying with two or more races accounted for 3.90% in 2000, though this percentage dropped to 3.17% by 2010. White Uys made up 3.13% in 2000, decreasing to 2.84% in 2010. There was a small representation of the Hispanic community among Uys, which increased from 1.71% in 2000 to 2.28% in 2010. There were no reported Black, American Indian, or Alaskan Native individuals with the Uy surname in either year.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 91.06% | 91.33% | 0.3% |
| Two or More Races | 3.9% | 3.17% | -18.72% |
| White | 3.13% | 2.84% | -9.27% |
| Hispanic | 1.71% | 2.28% | 33.33% |
| Black | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |
Uy ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Uy is Chinese, which comprises 42.1% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are Filipino & Austronesian (36.8%) and Indonesian, Thai, Khmer & Myanma (5.5%). Additional ancestries include British & Irish, Vietnamese, Spanish & Portuguese, Italian, and Indigenous American.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| Chinese | 42.1% |
| Filipino & Austronesian | 36.8% |
| Indonesian, Thai, Khmer & Myanma | 5.5% |
| Other | 15.6% |
Possible origins of the surname Uy
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Uy have recent ancestry locations in China and the Philippines.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Guangdong, China | 68.40% |
| Fujian, China | 67.30% |
| Zhejiang, China | 65.30% |
| Western Visayas, Philippines | 64.30% |
| Calabarzon, Philippines | 64.30% |
What Uy haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Uy is O-F8, which is predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Haplogroup O-F8 is descended from haplogroup O-M1359. Other common haplogroups include O-F11 and O-F81, which are predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American and East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Yen, Tsao, Xue, Ku, Yao, Kao, Chao, Tseng, Jia, Ung.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Uy surname are: M, B4b1a2, R. These most commonly trace back to individuals of East Asian & Indigenous American and European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins O-M1359
Your paternal lineage may be linked to the Han Chinese
Haplogroup O-Page23 has been found in several populations of the Han Chinese ethnic group. The ancestors of the Han, called the Huaxia, lived in the upriver basin of the Yellow River 5,000-6,000 years ago. As agricultural technology improved, the Huaxia spread east and south, and became the Han Chinese. Over the last 2,000 years, there have been three major migrations of the Han southward. The first of these migrations occurred during the Jin Dynasty from 317 to 420 CE, when nearly one million people moved south. A second migration occurred during the Tang Dynasty, after the An-Shi Rebellion, between 755 and 762 CE. The last migration occurred during the Southern Song Dynasty, from 1127 to 1297 CE, when nearly 5 million people migrated southward. The Pinghua, a branch of Han in which haplogroup O2a2b1a1 is particularly common, may be descendants of indigenous minority groups that adopted Han culture during one such major migration event.
Your maternal lineage may be linked to many people of Europe and Asia
Most of Europe's most common haplogroups, including H, J, T, V and U, are offshoots of R. Some, like U, were involved in some of the earliest migrations to Europe, while others spread from the Middle East with the dawn of agriculture. These groups spread east as well, reaching Central Asia and India first with early farmers and then with Iron Age migrants. In East Asia, R gave rise to the dominant haplogroups F and B. Members of just one branch of B, B2, migrated from Siberia to the Americas after the peak of the Ice Age 18,000 years ago, where their descendants are found today. However, no other branches of R have been found in the indigenous people of North and South America.
What do people with the surname Uy have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Uy" Surname 25.0%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Uy" Surname 25.8%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Uy?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Uy are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition