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

Yam, 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 Yam surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Yam in America

Yam is the 16041st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Yam surname appeared 1,808 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 Yam.

We can also compare 2010 data for Yam 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 Yam

The surname Yam has its origins in Europe, specifically from England and parts of Eastern Europe. The name is believed to have originated around the late Middle Ages, roughly in the 13th century. It appeared in regions of England and in areas that were once part of the Kingdom of Bohemia, now in modern-day Czech Republic.

In England, the surname Yam may be derived from an old English place name or from the Middle English word "yeme," meaning to care or to protect, which could hint at an occupation such as a caretaker or a guardian. Regions particularly associated with the name in England include Norfolk and Suffolk. Variations in spelling such as Yame, Yham, and Yamme have been recorded in historical documents from these regions.

Old records, including church registers and tax rolls, reference the surname as far back as the 14th century. An early historical reference includes the appearance of one William Yam in the Subsidy Rolls of Norfolk recorded in 1327. This suggests that the name had already been established in East Anglia by this time. Manuscripts from monasteries in Suffolk also list a John de Yame in 1356, indicating the surname's presence in ecclesiastical records.

In Eastern Europe, the surname Yam may have Slavic roots, originating from the word "jam," meaning pit or hollow. This could be toponymic, referring to someone living near a geographical depression or pit. The use of the name in this context appears in historical references from 14th-century Bohemia, where a Petr Yam is mentioned in local administrative records in 1392. It appears again in the Southern Polish region in the Kraków Voivodeship in the late 15th century, with Jakub Yamek appearing in a 1489 property register.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Yam. Thomas Yam, an English wool merchant born in 1468, established significant trade routes between Norfolk and Flanders. In the realm of science, Zdenek Yam, a Bohemian scholar born in 1533, made significant contributions to early studies in natural philosophy. The name also appears in the arts with Bartholomew Yam, an English painter born in 1602, whose works are still displayed in Norfolk's local galleries.

Later, the surname appears in colonial contexts. Samuel Yam, recorded in early 17th-century Virginia, was one of the early English settlers who arrived in Jamestown in 1623. Elizabeth Yam, born in 1784, was a noteworthy English novelist whose works gained a modest readership in Victorian England.

These historical references highlight the varied origins and significance of the surname Yam across different regions and time periods, tracing a lineage rich in occupational, geographical, and cultural contributions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Yam

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

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

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

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