Explore the Family Name Weaver
The meaning of Weaver
1. English: occupational name, from an agent derivative of Middle English weven ‘to weave’ (Old English wefan). 2. English: habitational name from a place on the Weaver river in Cheshire, now called Weaver Hall but recorded simply as Weuere in the 13th and 14th centuries. The river name is from Old English wēfer(e) ‘winding stream’. 3. Americanized form (translation into English) of various European surnames meaning ‘weaver’, for example German Weber, Polish and Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic) Tkacz or Tkach, Hungarian Takács (see Takacs), and Slovenian Tkalec, Tekavec or Veber. History: A certain Clement Weaver was in Weymouth, MA, by 1643, already. — As a name of Swiss German origin, originally spelled Weber (see 3 above), the surname Weaver is very common among the American Mennonites. The first Swiss Mennonite immigrants bearing the name Weber came to PA from the Palatinate, Germany, in the early 18th century; Weaverland (originally Weberthal), a settlement in Lancaster County, PA, was named after some of them.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Weaver in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Weaver saw a moderate shift in popularity between 2000 and 2010. While the rank of the surname slipped from 179 to 192, indicating a decline in its overall popularity, the actual count of individuals with the surname increased by 3.62%, from 138,811 to 143,837. Despite this increase in the raw number of Weavers, the proportion per 100,000 people decreased by 5.25%, falling from 51.46 to 48.76.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #179 | #192 | -7.26% |
| Count | 138,811 | 143,837 | 3.62% |
| Proportion per 100k | 51.46 | 48.76 | -5.25% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Weaver
Regarding the ethnic identity associated with the surname Weaver, the Decennial U.S. Census provides an interesting picture. The most significant change between 2000 and 2010 was observed within the Hispanic demographic, which experienced a substantial increase of 50.35%. Meanwhile, those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and of two or more races also rose by 30.00% and 33.57% respectively. However, Whites, who accounted for the majority of Weavers, witnessed a slight decrease of 1.52%. The proportion of Black and American Indian and Alaskan Native Weavers remained relatively stable, with a negligible decrease of 0.30% for Blacks and a small increase of 1.87% for American Indian and Alaskan Natives.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 85.71% | 84.41% | -1.52% |
| Black | 10.02% | 9.99% | -0.3% |
| Hispanic | 1.41% | 2.12% | 50.35% |
| Two or More Races | 1.4% | 1.87% | 33.57% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 1.07% | 1.09% | 1.87% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.4% | 0.52% | 30% |
Weaver 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 Weaver is British & Irish, which comprises 49.7% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (30.2%) and Eastern European (3.6%). Additional ancestries include Scandinavian, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, Nigerian, and Indigenous American.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 49.7% |
| French & German | 30.2% |
| Eastern European | 3.6% |
| Other | 16.5% |
Possible origins of the surname Weaver
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 Weaver have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 87.00% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 86.80% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 86.70% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 86.70% |
| West Yorkshire, United Kingdom | 86.40% |
What Weaver 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 Weaver is R-U152, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-U152 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-L21 and R-M405, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Weber, Miller, Knight, Smith, Becker, Meyer, White, Schmidt, Adams, Wagner.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Weaver surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Weaver 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.
"Weaver" Surname 41.3%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Weaver" Surname 25.3%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Weaver" Surname 21.4%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Weaver" Surname 19.1%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Weaver?
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 Weaver are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition