Explore the Family Name Wilkie

The meaning of Wilkie

1. Scottish: from the Older Scots personal name Wilkie, a pet form of Will 1 (see William) + the diminutive suffix -ie. In some instances perhaps also a shortened form of Wilkin. 2. Americanized form of German Wilke, written thus to preserve the final syllable.

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

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

The surname "Wilkie" saw a slight dip in popularity in the United States, according to data from the Decennial U.S. Census. In 2000, it was the 4680th most popular surname and by 2010, it had slipped to the 4947th position, marking a decrease of 5.71%. Despite this fall in rank, the number of people bearing this surname increased from 6927 in 2000 to 7116 in 2010, a rise of 2.73%. However, when analyzed relative to every 100k people, the frequency of the Wilkie surname fell by 6.23% over the decade.

20002010Change
Rank#4,680#4,947-5.71%
Count6,9277,1162.73%
Proportion per 100k2.572.41-6.23%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Wilkie

In terms of ethnicity, the Wilkie surname showed some changes between 2000 and 2010, as per the Decennial U.S. Census data. The data shows an increase in the proportion of individuals with Asian/Pacific Islander and two or more ethnic identities bearing the Wilkie surname, rising by 30.43% and 37.43% respectively. The surname also saw a 29.53% increase among Hispanics and an 11.19% rise among Blacks. Meanwhile, the representation of the name within the white population decreased slightly by 2.01%. Interestingly, the American Indian and Alaskan Native population with the Wilkie surname also witnessed a marginal decline of 1.72%.

20002010Change
White87.04%85.29%-2.01%
American Indian and Alaskan Native4.66%4.58%-1.72%
Black4.11%4.57%11.19%
Hispanic1.93%2.5%29.53%
Two or More Races1.79%2.46%37.43%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.46%0.6%30.43%

Wilkie 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 Wilkie is British & Irish, which comprises 56.0% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (22.1%) and Eastern European (5.0%). Additional ancestries include Italian, Scandinavian, Spanish & Portuguese, Indigenous American, and Ashkenazi Jewish.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
British & Irish56.0%
French & German22.1%
Eastern European5.0%
Other16.9%
Wilkie

Possible origins of the surname Wilkie

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 Wilkie have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
West Midlands, United Kingdom87.10%
Greater Manchester, United Kingdom87.10%
Greater London, United Kingdom87.10%
Glasgow City, United Kingdom87.10%
Merseyside, United Kingdom87.10%

What Wilkie 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 Wilkie is R-CTS241, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-CTS241 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include J-M67 and R-U152, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Dukes, Sherman, Biggs, D'Angelo, Martini, Callaghan, Forrester, Cameron, Allan, Scott.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Wilkie surname are: H1, J1c, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

wilkiePaternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343

Your 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.

Maternal Haplo Image

What do people with the surname Wilkie 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

Wilkie

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Wilkie" Surname 46.0%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Wilkie

Misophonia

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

"Wilkie" Surname 33.9%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Wilkie

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Wilkie" Surname 22.4%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Wilkie

Migraine

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

"Wilkie" Surname 17.8%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Wilkie?

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 Wilkie 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

British & Irish 62.1%

23andMe Users 57.2%