Explore the Family Name Whitcomb
The meaning of Whitcomb
English: habitational name from any of various places called Whitcombe or Witcombe. Whitcombe in Dorset and Witcombe in Gloucestershire are named with Old English wīd ‘wide’ + cumb ‘valley’; Whitcombe, Isle of Wight, may have the same etymology or alternatively the first element may be Old English hwīt ‘white’. Witcombe in Somerset is named with Old English wīthig ‘willow’ + cumb, and the placename Whitcombe in Devon is from Old English hwǣte ‘wheat’ + cumb. The surname may also derive from a lost place in Sussex.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Whitcomb in the United States?
Based on the data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Whitcomb has seen a slight decrease from 2000 to 2010. The ranking of the name dropped from 3954 in 2000 to 4263 in 2010, marking a downturn of 7.81%. However, interestingly, the total count of individuals with the Whitcomb surname slightly increased by 1.02%, from 8240 people in 2000 to 8324 people in 2010. Regardless of the increase in count, the proportion per 100k decreased by 7.54%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #3,954 | #4,263 | -7.81% |
| Count | 8,240 | 8,324 | 1.02% |
| Proportion per 100k | 3.05 | 2.82 | -7.54% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Whitcomb
In terms of ethnicity, again based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, there have been some notable changes in the ethnic identity of individuals with the surname Whitcomb between 2000 and 2010. The largest growth was observed in the Asian/Pacific Islander group, with an impressive increase of 113.79%. The Hispanic population also grew by 56.62%, whereas the Black community saw an upturn of 20.97%. The number of individuals identifying as two or more races increased by 33.33%. However, individuals identifying as White and American Indian and Alaskan Native witnessed a decrease by 1.82% and 25.37% respectively.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 94.66% | 92.94% | -1.82% |
| Black | 1.86% | 2.25% | 20.97% |
| Hispanic | 1.36% | 2.13% | 56.62% |
| Two or More Races | 1.17% | 1.56% | 33.33% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.29% | 0.62% | 113.79% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.67% | 0.5% | -25.37% |
Whitcomb 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 Whitcomb is British & Irish, which comprises 50.1% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (27.2%) and Eastern European (5.6%). Additional ancestries include Scandinavian, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, Ashkenazi Jewish, and Indigenous American.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 50.1% |
| French & German | 27.2% |
| Eastern European | 5.6% |
| Other | 17.2% |
Possible origins of the surname Whitcomb
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 Whitcomb have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 90.20% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 90.20% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 89.80% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 89.40% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 89.40% |
What Whitcomb 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 Whitcomb is R-P311, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-P311 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-L51 and R-P312, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Hershey, Levesque, Fortin, Boudreaux, Landry, Meador, Tolman, Mattingly, Ponder, Hardison.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Whitcomb surname are: H1, H, V. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343Your maternal lineage may be linked to the nomadic Tuareg of the Sahara
Though haplogroup H1 rarely reaches high frequencies beyond western Europe, over 60% of eastern Tuareg in Libya belong to haplogroup H1. The Tuareg call themselves the Imazghan, meaning “free people.” They are an isolated, semi-nomadic people who inhabit the West-Central Sahara and are known today for a distinctive dark blue turban worn by the men, and for their long history as gatekeepers of the desert.How did women carrying H1 make it all the way from western Europe to this isolated community? They likely migrated from Spain across the Strait of Gibraltar into Morocco after the Last Ice Age, where they were assimilated into the Berbers of the Mediterranean coast. Then, about 5,000 years ago, the Sahara shifted from a period of relative habitable conditions to its dramatically arid desert environment. This shift may have caused migrations throughout the Sahara, prompting the ancient Tuaregs to meet and mingle with the Berbers, bringing H1 lineages into their population.
What do people with the surname Whitcomb 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.
"Whitcomb" Surname 58.5%
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.
"Whitcomb" Surname 25.0%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Whitcomb" Surname 23.1%
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.
"Whitcomb" Surname 19.6%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Whitcomb?
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 Whitcomb are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition