Find out how popular the last name Yaari is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Yaari.

Yaari, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Yaari surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Yaari in America

Yaari is the 156044th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Yaari surname appeared 104 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Yaari.

The history of the last name Yaari

The surname Yaari is of Hebrew origin and finds its roots in the Jewish communities of the Middle East and Eastern Europe. Derived from the Hebrew word "ya'ar," meaning "forest" or "wood," Yaari translates roughly to "my forest" or "forest dweller." This surname manifests a connection to nature and rural life, which was common among Jewish people living in or near wooded areas.

The name Yaari appears in historical records dating back to the late medieval period. One notable early reference is in the form of family lists and community records in the Ottoman Empire during the 16th century. Jewish communities in places like Jerusalem and Safed often used surnames related to natural elements, which explains the adoption of Yaari among certain families.

The earliest recorded example of the surname Yaari appears in an Ottoman census of 1525, listing a family registered under this name in Jerusalem. Another significant historical record includes a tax document from Safed in 1586, mentioning a prominent local merchant named Avraham Yaari. His transactions were pivotal in the local economy of the Jewish quarter.

Through the 17th and 18th centuries, the name Yaari began to spread to Eastern Europe, particularly within Ashkenazi Jewish communities. The surname appeared in various spellings, such as Yaar, Jari, and Yori, as families migrated and adapted the name to different linguistic and cultural environments. Mendel Yaari, born in Vilnius in 1721, is one of the early known bearers of the surname in Lithuania. He was a respected rabbi who contributed to local religious scholarship.

In the 19th century, the surname Yaari became more common in official records. A notable figure is Hillel Yaari, born in 1810 in Prague, who was a writer and educator within the Jewish Enlightenment movement. His works on Jewish history and culture earned him recognition in academic circles of his time.

By the early 20th century, the name Yaari saw further prominence with individuals like Shimon Yaari, born in 1885 in Warsaw, who was an influential Zionist leader and one of the founders of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. His contributions to Jewish education and the Zionist cause were substantial.

Another important figure is Yaakov Yaari-Poleskin, born in 1900 in Odessa, who became a renowned violinist and composer. His music was celebrated both in Europe and later in Israel, where he emigrated in the 1930s, enhancing the cultural tapestry of the Jewish state.

The surname Yaari carries a rich heritage, reflecting the close relationship between Jewish communities and their historical, cultural, and natural environments. From its Middle Eastern origins to its spread across Europe, the name has been borne by influential figures who contributed significantly to Jewish history and culture.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Yaari

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Yaari.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Yaari was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Yaari was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Yaari, please contact us.

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