Explore the Family Name Wiltshire
The meaning of Wiltshire
English: habitational name from the county of Wiltshire in southwest central England, which gets its name from Wilton (once the county’s principal town) + Old English scīr ‘shire, administrative division’.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Wiltshire in the United States?
The surname Wiltshire ranked 10,937th in terms of popularity in the United States based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census in 2000. By the 2010 Census, it had dropped slightly to the 10,974th position, marking a marginal decrease of 0.34%. However, the count of individuals with the Wiltshire surname increased by 8.58% during the same period, from 2,670 in 2000 to 2,899 in 2010. Despite this increase in count, its proportion per 100,000 people decreased by 1.01%, indicating that the overall population growth rate surpassed that of the Wiltshire surname.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #10,937 | #10,974 | -0.34% |
| Count | 2,670 | 2,899 | 8.58% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.99 | 0.98 | -1.01% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Wiltshire
In terms of ethnicity according to the Decennial U.S. Census, individuals identifying as White made up the largest portion of those with the Wiltshire surname in both 2000 (69.48%) and 2010 (65.02%), although the proportion decreased by 6.42%. The second-largest ethnic group was Black, which saw an increase from 24.61% in 2000 to 28.53% in 2010. The Asian/Pacific Islander representation also increased significantly, by 73.53%, although they make up a smaller percentage of the total. Those identifying as Hispanic grew by 35.75%, while those identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native increased by 38.46%. Interestingly, those who identified with two or more races decreased by 24.91%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 69.48% | 65.02% | -6.42% |
| Black | 24.61% | 28.53% | 15.93% |
| Hispanic | 2.21% | 3% | 35.75% |
| Two or More Races | 2.85% | 2.14% | -24.91% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.52% | 0.72% | 38.46% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.34% | 0.59% | 73.53% |
Wiltshire 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 Wiltshire is British & Irish, which comprises 55.8% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (16.1%) and Nigerian (8.1%). Additional ancestries include Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean, Spanish & Portuguese, Italian, Scandinavian, and Eastern European.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 55.8% |
| French & German | 16.1% |
| Nigerian | 8.1% |
| Other | 20.1% |
Possible origins of the surname Wiltshire
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 Wiltshire have recent ancestry locations all within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 82.60% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 82.60% |
| West Yorkshire, United Kingdom | 82.60% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 82.60% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 81.50% |
What Wiltshire 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 Wiltshire is R-Z16294, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-Z16294 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-Z381 and I-L205.1, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Bean, Carroll, Nixon, Welch, Purcell, Hart, Evans, Robinson, Brown, Matthews.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Wiltshire surname are: H1, H, I. 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 Wiltshire 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.
"Wiltshire" Surname 48.1%
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.
"Wiltshire" Surname 16.7%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Wiltshire" Surname 21.9%
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.
"Wiltshire" Surname 21.4%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Wiltshire?
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 Wiltshire are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition