Explore the Family Name Yancey
The meaning of Yancey
Altered form of an unidentified surname, possibly of the like-sounding Dutch name Janse or its cognate Jansen (final -n is silent in some dialects of Dutch), or of some similar English surname, such as Jauncey or Jancey, variants of Johnsey. History: Charles Yancey, the progenitor of the Yanceys, is recorded in King William County, VA, in 1704. According to family tradition, the surname was brought to VA from Wales in the middle of the 17th century and is said to be an altered form of Nanney, but there is no evidence of this and, as the DNA tests proved, also no direct paternal connection between the Yancey and the Nanney family.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Yancey in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Yancey has seen a slight decline between 2000 and 2010. Ranked as the 2503rd most common last name in 2000, it fell to the 2656th position by 2010, marking a decrease of 6.11%. However, the actual count of individuals bearing the Yancey surname increased by 2.57% during the same decade, rising from 13,226 to 13,566. The proportion of Yanceys per 100,000 people decreased slightly from 4.9 to 4.6, reflecting a minor decrease of 6.12%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #2,503 | #2,656 | -6.11% |
| Count | 13,226 | 13,566 | 2.57% |
| Proportion per 100k | 4.9 | 4.6 | -6.12% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Yancey
In terms of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data shows a diverse ethnic identity for the surname Yancey. Between 2000 and 2010, there was a notable increase in the percentage of individuals identifying as Hispanic (54.81% increase) and those identifying with two or more races (32.26% increase). The majority identified as White, though this percentage declined slightly from 65.78% to 63.94%. Those identifying as Black slightly increased from 30.26% to 30.72%, while the percentages for Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian and Alaskan Native saw small increases of 6.67% and 2.22% respectively.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 65.78% | 63.94% | -2.8% |
| Black | 30.26% | 30.72% | 1.52% |
| Two or More Races | 1.86% | 2.46% | 32.26% |
| Hispanic | 1.35% | 2.09% | 54.81% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.45% | 0.46% | 2.22% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.3% | 0.32% | 6.67% |
Yancey 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 Yancey is British & Irish, which comprises 53.9% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (18.3%) and Nigerian (6.6%). Additional ancestries include Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean, Scandinavian, Spanish & Portuguese, Eastern European, and Angolan & Congolese.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 53.9% |
| French & German | 18.3% |
| Nigerian | 6.6% |
| Other | 21.2% |
Possible origins of the surname Yancey
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 Yancey have recent ancestry locations all within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 82.40% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 82.40% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 82.00% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 82.00% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 81.70% |
What Yancey 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 Yancey is J-M67, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup J-M67 is descended from haplogroup J-M304. Other common haplogroups include R-CTS241 and E-P252, which are predominantly found among people with European and Sub-Saharan African ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Pickens, Isom, Ison, Carrico, Voorhees, Lavin, Porto, Vassallo, Piazza, Godinez.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Yancey surname are: H1, H, H1a. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins J-M304Your 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 Yancey 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.
"Yancey" Surname 41.5%
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.
"Yancey" Surname 20.6%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Yancey" Surname 21.4%
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.
"Yancey" Surname 20.5%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Yancey?
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 Yancey are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition