Explore the Family Name Yeager

The meaning of Yeager

Americanized form of German Jäger (see Jaeger). Compare Yaeger.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname "Yeager" saw a slight shift between 2000 and 2010. The rank of this surname dropped from 1,463 in 2000 to 1,582 in 2010, marking a decrease of 8.13%. However, the count of individuals with this surname increased marginally by 1.16%, rising from 22,374 in 2000 to 22,634 in 2010. The proportion per 100,000 also saw a decline from 8.29 in 2000 to 7.67 in 2010, indicating a drop of 7.48%.

20002010Change
Rank#1,463#1,582-8.13%
Count22,37422,6341.16%
Proportion per 100k8.297.67-7.48%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Yeager

Regarding the ethnicity associated with the surname "Yeager", the data from the Decennial U.S. Census shows some shifts between 2000 and 2010. The percentage of individuals identified as Asian/Pacific Islander grew from 0.34% to 0.54%, marking an increase of 58.82%. Those identifying as two or more ethnicities also grew slightly from 1.22% to 1.34%. The percentage of white Yeagers decreased slightly from 95.00% to 93.95%. Hispanic representation within the Yeager surname rose from 1.10% to 1.86%, a notable increase of 69.09%. Black individuals represented 1.77% in 2000 and this percentage slightly reduced to 1.70% in 2010. Lastly, the American Indian and Alaskan Native population had a small increase from 0.56% to 0.61% over the decade.

20002010Change
White95%93.95%-1.11%
Hispanic1.1%1.86%69.09%
Black1.77%1.7%-3.95%
Two or More Races1.22%1.34%9.84%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.56%0.61%8.93%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.34%0.54%58.82%

Yeager 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 Yeager is British & Irish, which comprises 44.8% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (34.4%) and Eastern European (5.2%). Additional ancestries include Scandinavian, Italian, Ashkenazi Jewish, Spanish & Portuguese, and Indigenous American.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
British & Irish44.8%
French & German34.4%
Eastern European5.2%
Other15.6%
Yeager

Possible origins of the surname Yeager

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

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Greater London, United Kingdom85.60%
Merseyside, United Kingdom85.60%
Glasgow City, United Kingdom85.60%
Greater Manchester, United Kingdom85.40%
West Yorkshire, United Kingdom85.00%

What Yeager 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 Yeager is R-M420, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-M420 is descended from haplogroup R-M420. Other common haplogroups include R-M167 and R-CTS241, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Hay, Hayes, David, Hays, Schaffer, Gross, Newman, Schneider, Jacobs, Smith.

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

yeagerPaternal Haplogroup Origins R-M420
Paternal Haplo Image

Your paternal lineage may be linked to Mal'Ta Boy

Buried with a variety of trinkets including an ivory crown and stone-hewn figurines, “Mal'Ta Boy” was a freckled three-year-old who lived 24,000 years ago near Lake Baikal in Siberia. Although Mal'Ta Boy's life was cut short by unknown circumstances, his genome contains important clues about the ancestors of modern Native Americans.From Mal'Ta Boy's bone samples, researchers determined that he carried paternal haplogroup R, an ancient lineage that is still relatively common in Western Europe, Central Asia, and South Asia. One striking discovery was that Mal'Ta Boy's genome showed affinities with both modern European and Native American populations, but not with modern East Asians. This suggests present-day Native Americans are likely descended from at least two source populations: one originating in East Asia and the other closely related to Mal'ta boy's Central Siberian roots.

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 Yeager 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

Yeager

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Yeager" Surname 43.8%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Yeager

Misophonia

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

"Yeager" Surname 25.8%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Yeager

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Yeager" Surname 17.7%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Yeager

Migraine

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

"Yeager" Surname 17.4%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Yeager?

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 Yeager 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%