Explore the Family Name Villareal

The meaning of Villareal

Spanish: variant of Villarreal. Some characteristic forenames: Spanish Jose, Manuel, Jesus, Juan, Luis, Ramiro, Ramon, Ruben, Guadalupe, Raul, Roberto, Armando.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Villareal in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Villareal has seen an increase in popularity in the United States between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked as the 3,797th most popular surname, and by 2010, it had moved up to the 3,693rd position, marking a 2.74% increase in rank. The count of individuals with this surname also rose from 8,577 in 2000 to 9,614 in 2010, indicating a significant 12.09% growth. The proportion of people named Villareal per 100,000 increased slightly from 3.18 in 2000 to 3.26 in 2010.

20002010Change
Rank#3,797#3,6932.74%
Count8,5779,61412.09%
Proportion per 100k3.183.262.52%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Villareal

In terms of ethnic identity, the Decennial U.S. Census reveals that the majority of Villareals identified as Hispanic in both 2000 and 2010, although there was a slight decrease from 84.51% to 83.96%. There was a noticeable increase in those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander, going up from 6.53% in 2000 to 7.71% in 2010. The percentage of Villareals identifying with two or more races also saw an increase from 0.82% to 0.88%, while those identifying as Black increased from 0.30% to 0.34%. The number of Villareals who identified as White decreased from 7.53% in 2000 to 6.80% in 2010, and the percentage identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native also saw a small decrease from 0.31% to 0.30%.

20002010Change
Hispanic84.51%83.96%-0.65%
Asian/Pacific Islander6.53%7.71%18.07%
White7.53%6.8%-9.69%
Two or More Races0.82%0.88%7.32%
Black0.3%0.34%13.33%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.31%0.3%-3.23%

Villareal 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 Villareal is Spanish & Portuguese, which comprises 24.8% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are Indigenous American (20.3%) and Filipino & Austronesian (16.1%). Additional ancestries include British & Irish, French & German, Eastern European, Vietnamese, and Chinese.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
Spanish & Portuguese24.8%
Indigenous American20.3%
Filipino & Austronesian16.1%
Other38.9%
Villareal

Possible origins of the surname Villareal

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 Villareal have recent ancestry locations all within Mexico.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Aguascalientes, Mexico51.00%
Michoacan, Mexico51.00%
Baja California, Mexico51.00%
Zacatecas, Mexico51.00%
Yucatan, Mexico51.00%

What Villareal 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 Villareal is O-F2415, which is predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Haplogroup O-F2415 is descended from haplogroup O-M1359. Other common haplogroups include E-M183 and O-F2859, which are predominantly found among people with European and East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Villareal surname are: A2, H, B2. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

villarealPaternal Haplogroup Origins O-M1359
Paternal Haplo Image

Your paternal lineage may be linked to the Cham

One of the many populations harboring members of haplogroup O1b1a1a1a1 is the Cham ethnic group, a group of people who speak Austronesian languages in Mainland Southeast Asia. Austronesian languages make up a language family that is extremely large and widespread, comprising over 350 million people on islands such as Madagascar, Easter Island, and many others. However, Austronesian languages are less common on mainland Asia, with a notable exception being the Chamic language. Research suggests that ancestors of the Cham people migrated from Southeast Asian islands to the mainland around the year 500 BCE, and that early Cham populations quickly began mixing with indigenous southern Vietnamese populations. As a result, the Chamic language now has words that were borrowed from languages spoken by indigenous Vietnamese people. It is likely that an ancestral Kinh population was one of the populations that mixed with the Cham people shortly after their migration to mainland Asia.

Your maternal lineage may be linked to some of the first Americans

Though the Ice Age was beginning to retreat when your A2 ancestors first entered North America, there were still massive barriers blocking their way. Glaciers and inhospitable climate covered much of the continent, blocking entry into the interior. Nonetheless, researchers have found evidence that a wave of American founders migrated over 13,000 kilometers to reach southern Chile in only 2,000 years, a blink of an eye in the story of human migration! Their highway to the south was the coast of the Pacific, stocked with fish, diverse marine mammals, and other valuable resources in the rich kelp forests of the upper latitudes and in the abundant fresh-water rivers near the equator. Because of this rapid movement south, the A2 haplogroup and its diverse branches are found throughout North and South America.

Maternal Haplo Image

What do people with the surname Villareal 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

Villareal

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Villareal" Surname 20.7%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Villareal

Misophonia

When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.

"Villareal" Surname 33.3%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Villareal

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Villareal" Surname 23.5%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Villareal

Migraine

A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

"Villareal" Surname 13.9%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Villareal?

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 Villareal are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition

Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Y402H variant

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of irreversible vision loss among older adults. The disease results in damage to the central part of the retina (the macula), impairing vision needed for reading, driving, or even recognizing faces. The 23andMe Health + Ancestry DNA test includes the two most common variants associated with an increased risk of developing the condition: the Y402H variant in the CFH gene and the A69S variant in the ARMS2 gene. Learn more about Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Spanish & Portuguese 56.3%

23andMe Users 57.2%