2000
#124,872
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Yackee
Possible corruption of the Swiss surname "Jacky," of unclear etymology.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Yackee. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Yackee surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Yackee in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Yackee, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Yackee
The surname Yackee is believed to originate from the areas of Eastern and Central Europe, specifically from regions that now comprise present-day Germany and Poland. It likely emerged during the medieval period, although precise dates are hard to pin down due to the migration and fluidity of borders in this region.
The name is thought to derive from the German word "Jacke," meaning a kind of jacket or coat, indicating that it may have originally been an occupational surname for someone who made or sold such garments. Additionally, it might have connections to the Slavic word "Jaka," meaning strong or robust, suggesting a descriptor nickname.
One of the earliest appearances of a similar name can be found in historical records such as the Bürgerbücher (citizens' books) of medieval German towns. A variant spelling, "Jakke," is recorded in the late 13th century in Cologne, a significant trade and cultural center at that time. This reflects the name's integration into the local populace and suggests some level of social standing or reputation.
In the late 14th century, a Hans Yacke is noted in the city records of Leipzig, which was an important commercial hub in the Holy Roman Empire. Hans's involvement in trade may have contributed to the dissemination of the name across various regions through mercantile activities.
Moving forward to the 16th century, the name appears to have migrated eastwards. A record from 1532 mentions a Waldemar Yackee in the region of Poznan, then part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Waldemar was a noted figure in local administration, indicating that the Yackee family had established itself firmly in this region by this period.
Another significant figure with this surname was Nikolaus Yacke, born in Gdansk in 1594. Nikolaus was a prominent merchant whose activities spanned the Baltic Sea, contributing to the prosperity of the Hanseatic League during its decline. His name appears frequently in trade documents and correspondences from the early 17th century.
In the 18th century, the Yackee name continued to be prominent, especially in regions experiencing political and economic changes. An important historical figure was Johann Yackee, born in 1721 in Königsberg (modern-day Kaliningrad). Johann was a noted scholar and contributed significantly to early Enlightenment intellectual circles. His works are referenced in various academic manuscripts of the period.
By the 19th century, the surname had made its way across the Atlantic, following the waves of German and Polish immigration to the United States. One of the earliest records in the U.S. is of Emil Yackee, who settled in New York in 1837. Emil worked in the burgeoning textile industry, which aligns with the occupational origins of the name.
The Yackee surname has thus a rich and diverse heritage, evolving from occupational roots in medieval Europe to becoming part of the fabric of multiple societies and cultures.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Yackee
Among Census respondents with the surname Yackee, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Yackee bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Yackee surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.4% · 104
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Yackee
Yackee appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-6 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,432 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-12 bearers (-9.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,901 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,872 | 127 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 13,432 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | -12 bearers (-9.9%) | Down 11,901 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Yackee surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #138,304 | #150,205 | -8.6% |
| Count | 121 | 109 | -9.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Yackee bearers went from 121 to 109 (-9.9% change). The surname moved down 11,901 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #150,205.
FAQ
Yackee surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Yackee?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Yackee. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Yackee?
Yackee ranks #150,205 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 109 people with the surname Yackee. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Yackee.
Has Yackee become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Yackee went from 121 recorded bearers to 109. That is a decrease of 12 (-9.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Yackee?
Among Census respondents with the surname Yackee, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Yackee in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.4% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Yackee appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.4%), Hispanic (1.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Yackee (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Yackee mean?
Possible corruption of the Swiss surname "Jacky," of unclear etymology. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Yackee (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Yackee?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.