York
Of Old English origin meaning "district belonging to the Eurovic tribe".
Name Census estimates that about 642 living Americans carry the first name York. It is a predominantly male name (98.9% of registrations). The average person named York today is around 44 years old, and the year with the single highest number of York births was 1971 (21 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for York. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for York with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
642
~ 1 in 533,885 Americans
Peak year
1971
21 babies that year
Average age
44
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,828
Tracked since 1880
Census
York in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 790 people with the first name York, which placed it at #14,793 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#14,793
National first-name rank
People counted
790
790 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
42.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for York
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named York is White at 42.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (26.6%) and Black (17.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name York described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name York at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White42.2% · 333
- Asian and Pacific Islander26.6% · 210
- Black or African American17.7% · 140
- Hispanic or Latino8.9% · 70
- Two or more races4.2% · 33
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 4
Gender
Gender distribution for York
York leans heavily male at 98.9% of total registrations, but 11 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
York as a male name
- Ranked #9,828 in 2024
- 8 male births in 2024
- Peak: 1971 (21 births)
York as a female name
- Ranked #15,020 in 2020
- 6 female births in 2020
- Peak: 2020 (6 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, York leans strongly male. 705 people counted with this name were male (88.7%), compared with 90 female bearers (11.3%).
Popularity
York: popularity over time
The SSA tracks York from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 142 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1960s peak, York remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
York 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 York during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Yorks live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, Utah, North Carolina recorded the most babies named York, while North Carolina, Utah, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 6 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of York
The name York has its origins in the Old English language and is derived from the word "Eofor-wic," which translates to "Boar Town" or "Boar Village." This name was likely given to the historic city of York in England, which was founded by the Romans and later became an important settlement during the Anglo-Saxon period.
The name York is closely associated with the city of York, which has a rich history dating back to ancient times. The city was originally known as "Eboracum" by the Romans, who established a military fortress there in the 1st century AD. Over time, the name evolved into "Eofor-wic" as the Anglo-Saxons settled in the area.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name York can be found in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, a collection of annals that documented the history of the Anglo-Saxons. The Chronicle mentions the city of York and its significance as a center of power and trade during the Anglo-Saxon period.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name York. One of the most famous was Edmund of York, who lived in the 13th century and was the younger son of King Edward I of England. Edmund was granted the title of Earl of Kent and played a significant role in the conflicts between England and Scotland during his lifetime.
Another prominent figure with the name York was Sir John York, an English military commander who fought in the Wars of the Roses during the 15th century. He was a loyal supporter of the House of Lancaster and served as the Lieutenant of the Tower of London.
In the realm of literature, one cannot overlook the American poet and playwright York Richard Jones, who lived from 1907 to 1997. Jones was known for his works that explored African American culture and identity, and he was a recipient of the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award.
Moving into the modern era, York Membry was an American football player who played as a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) from 1969 to 1981. He spent the majority of his career with the San Francisco 49ers and was known for his tenacious play on the defensive line.
Lastly, York Alvin Becker was a noted American artist and sculptor who lived from 1900 to 1977. Becker's works were primarily focused on capturing the essence of the human form, and his sculptures can be found in various public spaces and museums across the United States.
People
York + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with York 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
York: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named York?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 642 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for York 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 533,885 US residents.
Is York a common name?
We classify York as "Very Rare". It ranks above 86.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 966 babies have been registered with this name.
When was York most popular?
The single biggest year for York was 1971, when 21 babies received the name. The fact that the average living York is about 44 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was York in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 790 people with the name York, or 0.26 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #14,793 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name York in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for York?
In the 2020 Census sex table, York leans strongly male. 705 people counted with this name were male (88.7%), compared with 90 female bearers (11.3%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named York?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named York is White at 42.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (26.6%) and Black (17.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name York most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named York in the 2020 Census, accounting for 42.2% (333 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 York in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is York a male name?
Yes, 98.9% of people registered as York 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 York still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded York 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 York 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.
How many people have York as a first name?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the name York on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.