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

Yagoda, 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 Yagoda surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Yagoda in America

Yagoda is the 78316th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Yagoda surname appeared 244 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 Yagoda.

We can also compare 2010 data for Yagoda 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 Yagoda

The surname Yagoda has its origins in Eastern Europe, specifically in regions that are now part of modern-day Poland, Russia, and Ukraine. The name appears to have Slavic roots and is derived from the old Slavic word "jagoda," which means "berry" in English. The use of this term likely ties into the agrarian culture prevalent in these areas, where naming conventions often drew from natural elements.

The earliest references to surnames in these regions can be traced back to the Middle Ages, around the 13th to 15th centuries. During this time, surnames were becoming more common among the nobility and merchant classes and eventually spread to the peasantry. Historical records from this period show variations in the spelling of Yagoda, including Jagoda and Iagoda, reflecting the phonetic transcription from Cyrillic and Latin alphabets.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the surname is found in Polish records from the 15th century, where a family of minor nobility bore the name Jagoda. These records, though sparse, mark the presence of the name within the realm of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The name was likely tied to a village or estate where berries were a significant crop, although specific details about the location have been lost over time.

A notable historical figure with this surname was Genrikh Yagoda, born in 1891 and died in 1938. He was a Soviet secret police official and a key figure in the early years of the Soviet Union. Despite his eventual demise during the Great Purge, his name remains one of the most prominent in Soviet history.

In the regions that are now part of Ukraine, the name Yagoda appears in various historical documents from the 16th and 17th centuries. The Cossack registers list several individuals with this surname who participated in military campaigns. These records highlight the name's entrenchment in Ukrainian society, particularly among those who were involved in the defense of the region.

During the 19th century, the name Yagoda also appears in Russian imperial records. This period saw significant migration and administrative changes, bringing the surname into a broader array of locations across the Russian Empire. Families with the surname settled in newly developed areas and contributed to the agricultural economy, with many recorded as landowners and farmers.

Another notable person bearing the surname was Maria Yagoda, a Polish botanist born in 1863 and died in 1932, who contributed significantly to the study of native Polish flora. Her work in botanical sciences earned her recognition, and her publications continue to be cited in academic works.

The surname also appears in Jewish communities throughout Eastern Europe, especially in the Russian Pale of Settlement and parts of Galicia. Due to frequent changes in borders and migrations, many Jewish families adopted Yagoda as their surname during the 18th and 19th centuries.

In literary records, Vasyl Yagoda, a Ukrainian poet born in 1859 and died in 1937, used his surname as a pseudonym. His poetry often drew from the natural world, reflecting the etymological roots of his name.

By examining historical records, it is clear the surname Yagoda has a rich heritage tied to the cultural and agricultural practices of Eastern Europe. Its usage over several centuries and across different regions highlights the intricate tapestry of Slavic cultural history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Yagoda

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

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

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

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