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

Yale, 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 Yale surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Yale in America

Yale is the 12830th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Yale surname appeared 2,402 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Yale.

We can also compare 2010 data for Yale 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 Yale

The surname YALE is of English origin and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is thought to have originated from a place name, possibly the town of Yale in Denbighshire, Wales, which itself is derived from the Old English "gal" meaning "fertile upland".

Another theory suggests that the name YALE may have originated from the Old English word "gale" meaning "storm" or "gale wind". This could indicate that early bearers of the name lived in areas prone to strong winds or storms.

One of the earliest known references to the surname YALE can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which record a William de Yale in Oxfordshire. The Hundred Rolls were administrative records created during the reign of King Edward I.

In the 14th century, the surname YALE appeared in various forms, such as "Yale", "Yail", and "Yalle". These early spelling variations were common before the standardization of English spelling.

A notable early bearer of the YALE surname was Sir Richard Yale (c. 1370 - 1427), a Welsh landowner and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Denbighshire. He was also the Constable of Rhuddlan Castle.

During the 16th century, the YALE surname appeared in the Visitation of Denbighshire, a genealogical record compiled in 1592. This record mentions several members of the Yale family, including Thomas Yale (1518 - 1577), who served as the High Sheriff of Denbighshire in 1569.

In the 17th century, a prominent figure with the YALE surname was Elihu Yale (1649 - 1721), a wealthy merchant and philanthropist born in Boston, Massachusetts. He made significant donations to the Collegiate School in Connecticut, which later became Yale University and was named in his honor.

Another notable bearer of the YALE surname was Linus Yale Jr. (1821 - 1868), an American inventor and mechanical engineer who revolutionized the lock industry with his famous cylinder lock design. His company, Yale Lock Manufacturing Company, became one of the largest lock manufacturers in the world.

Throughout history, the YALE surname has been associated with various places, including Yale in Denbighshire, Wales, and Yale, Oklahoma, a town in the United States named after the Yale family who settled there in the late 19th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Yale

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

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

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

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