Explore the Family Name Yusuf
The meaning of Yusuf
Arabic: from the personal name Yūsuf, the name of an Islamic prophet, an Arabic equivalent to the Biblical name Joseph. Bearers of this surname are both Muslims and Christians. Among Christians it is in part found as an Arabized form of the Assyrian/Chaldean variants such as Yosep and Yousef. Compare Yousuf and Yussuf. Some characteristic forenames: Arabic/Muslim Mohamed, Mohammed, Muhammad, Abdi, Ahmed, Mohamud, Abdulaziz, Fatuma, Jemal, Lateef, Mamun, Mohammad.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Yusuf in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Yusuf has seen a significant increase in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In the year 2000, it was ranked as the 15,327th most popular name, but by 2010, it had risen to the 8,280th position—a change of nearly 46%. The number of people with this surname also more than doubled during this period, with a count of 1,760 in 2000 escalating to 4,003 in 2010—an increase of approximately 127%. Furthermore, the proportion of individuals named Yusuf per 100,000 people also saw an increase of over 109%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #15,327 | #8,280 | 45.98% |
| Count | 1,760 | 4,003 | 127.44% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.65 | 1.36 | 109.23% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Yusuf
The ethnic identity associated with the surname Yusuf also experienced some changes between 2000 and 2010, according to the Decennial U.S. Census data. In 2000, the largest ethnicity associated with the surname was Black, at 48.18%, which increased to 72.45% in 2010—a rise of over 50%. The second-largest ethnic identity in 2000 was Asian/Pacific Islander at 21.02%, but this decreased to 14.89% in 2010. Those identifying as two or more races showed a significant decrease from 18.98% in 2000 to 3.82% in 2010. Individuals who identified as White also declined from 10.17% to 7.07%. The surname also appeared among Hispanic and American Indian and Alaskan Native populations in 2010, where it previously had not been recorded in 2000.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black | 48.18% | 72.45% | 50.37% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 21.02% | 14.89% | -29.16% |
| White | 10.17% | 7.07% | -30.48% |
| Two or More Races | 18.98% | 3.82% | -79.87% |
| Hispanic | 0% | 1.37% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0.4% | 0% |
Yusuf 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 Yusuf is Somali, which comprises 29.5% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are Northern Indian & Pakistani (25.0%) and Nigerian (6.0%). Additional ancestries include British & Irish, Bengali & Northeast Indian, Ethiopian & Eritrean, Cypriot, and Southern Indian & Sri Lankan.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| Somali | 29.5% |
| Northern Indian & Pakistani | 25.0% |
| Nigerian | 6.0% |
| Other | 39.5% |
Possible origins of the surname Yusuf
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 Yusuf have recent ancestry locations spanning a few countries, mostly in Somalia, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Banaadir, Somalia | 34.30% |
| Bari, Somalia | 32.90% |
| Galguduud, Somalia | 31.40% |
| Mudug, Somalia | 31.40% |
| Lower Juba, Somalia | 30.00% |
What Yusuf 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 Yusuf is O-F2415, which is predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Haplogroup O-F2415 is descended from haplogroup O-M1359. Other common haplogroups include E-M183 and O-F2859, which are predominantly found among people with European and East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Yusuf surname are: M, L3, R. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins O-M1359
Your paternal lineage may be linked to the Cham
One of the many populations harboring members of haplogroup O1b1a1a1a1 is the Cham ethnic group, a group of people who speak Austronesian languages in Mainland Southeast Asia. Austronesian languages make up a language family that is extremely large and widespread, comprising over 350 million people on islands such as Madagascar, Easter Island, and many others. However, Austronesian languages are less common on mainland Asia, with a notable exception being the Chamic language. Research suggests that ancestors of the Cham people migrated from Southeast Asian islands to the mainland around the year 500 BCE, and that early Cham populations quickly began mixing with indigenous southern Vietnamese populations. As a result, the Chamic language now has words that were borrowed from languages spoken by indigenous Vietnamese people. It is likely that an ancestral Kinh population was one of the populations that mixed with the Cham people shortly after their migration to mainland Asia.
Your maternal lineage may be linked to the ancient people of the Indian subcontinent
While Haplogroup M is widespread throughout South and East Asia, it is more diverse on the Indian sub-continent than anywhere else in the world. The high degree of diversity of M in India is likely tied to its ancient arrival here nearly 50,000 years ago. In addition to M2, which is found throughout the subcontinent, there are dozens of haplogroups branching off of M that exist in India. These branches are often connected to specific regions, tribes, or ethnic groups. For example, haplogroup M18 is found among the Oraon peoples of eastern India and Bangladesh, while haplogroup M41 is common among the Pardhan speakers of eastern India, and haplogroup M31a can be found on the Andaman Islands, just off the southeast coast of India.
What do people with the surname Yusuf 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.
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Yusuf" Surname 10.0%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Yusuf?
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 Yusuf are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition