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

Yack, 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 Yack surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Yack in America

Yack is the 58876th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Yack surname appeared 344 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 Yack.

We can also compare 2010 data for Yack to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Yack

The surname Yack has its origins deeply rooted in Central Europe, particularly within regions that now constitute modern-day Germany and Poland. The name is believed to date back to the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century. It is speculated that the name Yack may derive from an older Germanic name or word, possibly related to occupations or geographical features. One hypothesis is that Yack could be derived from the Middle Low German word "jacke," meaning a type of garment or jacket, suggesting that the name could have initially been occupational, referring to a jacket maker or seller.

Early references to the name can be found in various medieval manuscripts and records. One of the earliest recorded occurrences of a similar name is in a 13th-century document referring to a "Johannes Jacke," a resident of a small village in modern-day Germany. Although the spelling varies, it is clear that the phonetic sound of the name remains consistent. Additionally, there are instances within records from the Hanseatic League, a commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Northwestern and Central Europe, which mention a "Heinrich Yacke" around the mid-14th century.

One of the notable individuals bearing the surname Yack includes Martin Yack, born in 1578 in Hamburg, Germany, who was a known merchant and played a role in trade within the Hanseatic League. Another significant figure is Anna Yack, who was born in Wrocław (Breslau) in 1623. She was one of the first female owners of a cloth-selling business in the area, maintaining it even through the turbulent Thirty Years' War.

Moving forward into the 18th century, Georg Yack, born in 1710, was a scholar and writer in Berlin, contributing significantly to the early German literature scene. His most famous work included a collection of regional folk tales, which has been preserved in the Prussian State Library. Elsa Yack, born in 1785, was a renowned artist and member of the Royal Academy of Arts in London, celebrated for her landscape paintings that captured the spirit of the Romantic period.

In the 19th century, another distinguished member of the Yack family was Friedrich Yack, born in 1835 in Königsberg, who became an influential figure in the field of early German industrial engineering. His contributions to the development of railway systems in Prussia marked a significant advancement in transportation during that era.

Throughout history, the Yack surname has endured various spellings and adaptations, maintaining its presence across different cultures and time periods. The family's contributions to commerce, the arts, literature, and engineering illustrate the diverse talents and enduring legacy associated with the name Yack.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Yack

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

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 Yack 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.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Yack has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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 Yack was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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