2000
#36,572
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 577
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.21
Rare Last name
Yahya
An Arabic surname derived from Yahya, meaning "alive" or "life".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,334 Americans carry the last name Yahya. That puts it at #14,165 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.68 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 146,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Yahya 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Yahya with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.3K
1 in 146,853
Census rank
#14,165
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,035 bearers of the surname Yahya in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.68 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14165th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Yahya, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (18.0%) and Black (15.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Yahya
The surname Yahya has its origins in the Middle East, particularly within Arabic-speaking regions. The name first emerged around the 8th century. Yahya is derived from the Arabic word "يحيى", which is closely related to the Hebrew name Yochanan, meaning "God is gracious". Over time, variations of the spelling have appeared depending on regional linguistic influences and dialects.
The historical significance of the surname Yahya can be traced back to a variety of medieval records and manuscripts. One notable document is an Arabic manuscript from the 10th century that mentions a scholar by the name of Ahmad ibn Yahya al-Baladhuri. Belonging to a prominent family of Baghdad, he was an eminent historian who lived from 820 to 892 and his works, such as "Futuh al-Buldan", are regarded as crucial historical sources.
An example of an early recorded instance of the surname is Yahya ibn Abi Mansur, an astronomer in the House of Wisdom in Baghdad around the 9th century. His work in the fields of astronomy and mathematics significantly influenced Islamic Golden Age science, demonstrating the scholarly contributions of individuals bearing this surname.
Another historical figure is Yahya ibn Aktham, a jurist and the chief judge of the Abbasid Caliphate under Harun al-Rashid, born in 787 and dying in 857. His role in the development of Islamic jurisprudence provides valuable insights into the societal norms and legal practices of the time. He is frequently referenced in legal texts from that period.
In Al-Andalus, Yahya ibn al-Hakam al-Bakri, also known as "Al-Ghazal", was a famous poet and diplomat born circa 800 and died in 864. He served in the court of the Emirate of Cordoba and his literary works have been preserved in various medial libraries and archives, reflecting the widespread cultural influence of the name.
Additionally, within the realm of philosophy and theology, Yahya ibn Adi, born in 893 and died in 974, was a notable Christian-Arab philosopher operating in Baghdad. His contributions to early dialogues between Islam and Christianity and his prolific writings on logic and ethics further solidified the surname’s historic prominence.
The surname Yahya continues to denote a rich legacy of intellectual, legal, and cultural contributions across the medieval Arab world, present in diverse historical records and borne by individuals who have left an indelible mark on their respective fields.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Yahya
Among Census respondents with the surname Yahya, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (18.0%) and Black (15.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Yahya 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 Yahya surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White57.4% · 1,169
- Asian and Pacific Islander18.0% · 366
- Black or African American15.7% · 319
- Two or more races6.8% · 138
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 43
Timeline
Historical Census data for Yahya
Yahya 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
#22,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,112
+535 bearers (+92.7%)
Per 100,000 0.38
Rank movement Up 13,583 places
2020
#14,165
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,035
+923 bearers (+83.0%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Up 8,824 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #36,572 | 577 | 0.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #22,989 | 1,112 | 0.38 | +535 bearers (+92.7%) | Up 13,583 places |
| 2020 | #14,165 | 2,035 | 0.68 | +923 bearers (+83.0%) | Up 8,824 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 Yahya 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 | #22,989 | #14,165 | 38.4% |
| Count | 1,112 | 2,035 | 83.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.38 | 0.68 | 79.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Yahya bearers went from 1,112 to 2,035 (+83.0% change). The surname moved up 8,824 positions in the national ranking, going from #22,989 to #14,165.
FAQ
Yahya surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Yahya?
Name Census estimates that about 2,334 living Americans carry the surname Yahya. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 146,853 residents.
How common is Yahya?
Yahya ranks #14,165 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.68 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,035 people with the surname Yahya. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,334), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.68 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.68 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Yahya.
Has Yahya become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Yahya went from 1,112 recorded bearers to 2,035. That is an increase of 923 (+83.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #22,989 to #14,165.
What does the Census say about the background of Yahya?
Among Census respondents with the surname Yahya, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (18.0%) and Black (15.7%). 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 Yahya in the 2020 Census, accounting for 57.4% (1,169 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Yahya appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (57.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (18.0%), Black (15.7%). 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 Yahya (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 Yahya mean?
An Arabic surname derived from Yahya, meaning "alive" or "life". 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 Yahya (0.68 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 Americans have the surname Yahya?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.