Explore the Family Name Willey
The meaning of Willey
1. English: from a pet form of the personal name Will, a short form of William. In some instances a variant of Wiley. 2. Americanized form of Swiss German Willi. History: Isaac Willey is recorded in Boston, MA, in 1640, and went on to be one of the founders of New London, CT. His descendent Samuel Hopkins Willey (1821–1914) was one of the founders of the College of California at Berkeley in 1860.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Willey in the United States?
According to the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname "Willey" has seen a slight dip in popularity over the years. In 2000, it was ranked as the 2,521st most common surname in the United States with 13,145 individuals bearing the name. However, by 2010, its rank dropped to 2,759 and the count of individuals with the surname fell slightly to 13,067. This represents a change of -9.44% in rank and -0.59% in count. The proportion of people with the Willey surname per 100,000 people also decreased from 4.87 in 2000 to 4.43 in 2010, marking a decline of 9.03%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #2,521 | #2,759 | -9.44% |
| Count | 13,145 | 13,067 | -0.59% |
| Proportion per 100k | 4.87 | 4.43 | -9.03% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Willey
The ethnic identity of those with the Willey surname also evolved between 2000 and 2010, based on the data from the Decennial U.S. Census. The percentage of people identifying as White decreased marginally from 94.82% to 94.07%. The number of individuals identifying as Black also saw a decrease from 1.86% to 1.47%. However, there were increases in the percentages of individuals identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander (from 0.38% to 0.57%), Hispanic (from 1.23% to 1.83%), and American Indian and Alaskan Native (from 0.57% to 0.60%). The group identifying with two or more ethnic identities also increased from 1.14% to 1.47%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 94.82% | 94.07% | -0.79% |
| Hispanic | 1.23% | 1.83% | 48.78% |
| Two or More Races | 1.14% | 1.47% | 28.95% |
| Black | 1.86% | 1.47% | -20.97% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.57% | 0.6% | 5.26% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.38% | 0.57% | 50% |
Willey 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 Willey is British & Irish, which comprises 53.0% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (26.4%) and Scandinavian (4.4%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Spanish & Portuguese, Italian, Ashkenazi Jewish, and Indigenous American.
Ready to learn more about your ancestry? Get the most comprehensive ancestry breakdown on the market by taking our DNA test. Shop 23andMe
| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 53.0% |
| French & German | 26.4% |
| Scandinavian | 4.4% |
| Other | 16.1% |
Possible origins of the surname Willey
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 Willey have recent ancestry locations all within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 89.20% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 89.20% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 89.20% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 89.20% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 88.90% |
What Willey 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 Willey 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 R-Z209 and I-Z58, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Vickers, Bullard, Grace, France, Bernard, Morgan, Burk, Lloyd, Woodhouse, Clemens.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Willey surname are: H1, J1c, 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 Willey 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.
"Willey" Surname 44.1%
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.
"Willey" Surname 20.0%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Willey" Surname 24.3%
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.
"Willey" Surname 16.3%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Willey?
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 Willey are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition