Explore the Family Name Wiseman

The meaning of Wiseman

1. English: nickname from Middle English wise ‘wise, discreet’ (see Wise 1) + man, also wise-man ‘wise, thoughtful, rational, skilled, or intelligent person, a cunning man’ (Old English wīs + mann). The name may also have been used ironically. 2. Americanized form of German Weismann.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Wiseman slightly decreased between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Wiseman was ranked as the 1745th most popular surname in the U.S., while in 2010 it fell to 1845th place, a drop of about 5.73%. However, the overall count of individuals bearing the Wiseman surname increased during this period from 18,813 in 2000 to 19,439 in 2010, marking a rise of 3.33%. The proportion per 100,000 people also dropped by approximately 5.45%, making the surname less common overall.

20002010Change
Rank#1,745#1,845-5.73%
Count18,81319,4393.33%
Proportion per 100k6.976.59-5.45%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Wiseman

When examining ethnicity based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the Wiseman surname showed some shifts between 2000 and 2010. The proportion of those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander increased from 0.33% to 0.50%, and those claiming two or more races went from 1.19% to 1.62%. The percentage of White individuals with the Wiseman name declined slightly from 90.65% to 88.71%. Hispanic representation rose from 1.17% to 2.12%, and Black representation saw a slight increase from 6.07% to 6.54%. American Indian and Alaskan Native representation among Wisemans fell, however, from 0.58% to 0.50%.

20002010Change
White90.65%88.71%-2.14%
Black6.07%6.54%7.74%
Hispanic1.17%2.12%81.2%
Two or More Races1.19%1.62%36.13%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.33%0.5%51.52%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.58%0.5%-13.79%

Wiseman 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 Wiseman is British & Irish, which comprises 53.3% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (24.3%) and Eastern European (3.8%). Additional ancestries include Scandinavian, Ashkenazi Jewish, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, and Indigenous American.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
British & Irish53.3%
French & German24.3%
Eastern European3.8%
Other18.6%
Wiseman

Possible origins of the surname Wiseman

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

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Greater Manchester, United Kingdom88.30%
Greater London, United Kingdom88.30%
West Midlands, United Kingdom88.10%
Glasgow City, United Kingdom88.10%
Merseyside, United Kingdom88.10%

What Wiseman 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 Wiseman is R-P25_1, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-P25_1 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-U152 and R-CTS241, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Layton, Quinones, Knight, Webber, Weber, Michael, Dennis, Schneider, Toro, Bowers.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Wiseman surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

wisemanPaternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343
Paternal Haplo Image

Your paternal lineage may be linked to Nicolaus Copernicus

Nicolaus Copernicus's heliocentric view of the solar system now serves as the basis of our understanding of the universe, but was once at odds with the Catholic Church's beliefs. Ironically, the astronomer was laid to rest in 1543 at Frombork Cathedral in Poland, where he had served as a canon and developed many of his scientific theories.Since Copernicus's death, numerous attempts have been made to locate his unmarked tomb in the Cathedral (even Napoleon ordered a search), but in 2005, scientists discovered a skeleton buried next to an altar known to have been tended by Copernicus. The skeleton was the right age, and a forensic reconstruction of the face resembled paintings of the 16th-century astronomer. Finally, DNA collected from the mystery bones matched the DNA from hair found inside a calendar that belonged to Copernicus. The scientists' efforts revealed that Copernicus's male lineage belongs to haplogroup 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 Wiseman 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

Wiseman

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Wiseman" Surname 42.8%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Wiseman

Misophonia

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

"Wiseman" Surname 28.3%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Wiseman

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Wiseman" Surname 20.9%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Wiseman

Migraine

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

"Wiseman" Surname 20.0%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Wiseman?

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 Wiseman 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%