Yankiel
A masculine diminutive form of the Hebrew name Jacob (Yaakov).
Name Census estimates that about 9 living Americans carry the first name Yankiel. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Yankiel today is around 5 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Yankiel births was 2021 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Yankiel. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Yankiel. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
9
~ 1 in 38,083,815 Americans
Peak year
2021
9 babies that year
Average age
5
years old
2021 SSA rank
#8,796
Tracked since 2021
Popularity
Yankiel: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Yankiel by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Yankiel during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 9 | 0 | 9 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Yankiel
The given name Yankiel has its origins in the Hebrew language and culture. It is a diminutive form of the Biblical name Yochanan, which means "God is gracious" or "Yahweh is merciful." The name Yankiel likely emerged during the Middle Ages among Ashkenazi Jewish communities in Central and Eastern Europe.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Yankiel can be found in the Responsa literature, a body of written rabbinical decisions and legal opinions dating back to the 11th century. In these texts, there are references to individuals bearing the name Yankiel, suggesting its usage among Jewish communities at that time.
The name Yankiel gained prominence during the 16th and 17th centuries, particularly in Poland and Lithuania, where it was widely adopted by Jewish families. Notable individuals bearing the name Yankiel during this period include Yankiel Lipman (1579-1653), a renowned Polish Talmudic scholar and rabbinical authority.
In the 18th century, Yankiel Tzintz (1725-1805), a prominent Polish-Jewish author and kabbalist, was a significant figure who carried the name. His works played a vital role in preserving and disseminating Jewish mystical teachings within the Hasidic movement.
Yankiel Shternberg (1805-1880), a Russian-born Jewish author and educator, was another notable bearer of the name. He authored several books on Jewish history and culture and is remembered for his contributions to the preservation of Yiddish literature.
The name Yankiel also found its way into the world of music, with Yankiel Terkeltaub (1872-1945), a renowned Ukrainian-born klezmer musician and composer. His compositions and performances were instrumental in popularizing traditional Jewish folk music in the early 20th century.
While the name Yankiel has its roots in the Jewish tradition, it has also been adopted by non-Jewish communities, particularly in Eastern Europe and parts of Russia. However, the historical and cultural significance of the name remains deeply rooted in its Hebrew origins and the rich tapestry of Jewish history and tradition.
People
Yankiel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Yankiel as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with Y
Other first names starting with Y with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Yankiel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Yankiel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 9 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Yankiel going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 38,083,815 US residents.
Is Yankiel a common name?
We classify Yankiel as "Very Rare". It ranks above 25.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 9 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Yankiel most popular?
The single biggest year for Yankiel was 2021, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Yankiel is about 5 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Yankiel in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Yankiel a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Yankiel in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Yankiel still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Yankiel in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Yankiel can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have the name Yankiel?
See how many people have the name Yankiel on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.