2000
#38,524
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 540
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.20
Very Rare Last name
Yamin
A surname of Arabic origin meaning "right" or "right-handed".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 882 Americans carry the last name Yamin. That puts it at #32,142 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.26 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 388,610 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Yamin 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 Yamin with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
882
1 in 388,610
Census rank
#32,142
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
769
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 769 bearers of the surname Yamin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.26 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 32142nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Yamin, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (19.9%) and Hispanic (9.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Yamin
The surname Yamin is believed to have its origins in the Arabic-speaking world, specifically within the regions that comprise the modern Middle East. The surname is derived from the Arabic root "y-m-n" which means "right" or "right side". The word "yamin" in Arabic literally translates to "right" or "right hand", a term that carries connotations of strength, favor, and auspiciousness.
Historically, surnames like Yamin emerged in societies where lineage and affiliation were of great importance. Ancient records and manuscripts from the early Islamic caliphates, dating back to the 7th and 8th centuries, occasionally reference individuals with surnames derived from directional indicators or personal traits, though exact matches are rare. The earliest concrete examples of the surname Yamin may not appear until later periods as written documentation improved and expanded.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Yamin can be found in medieval genealogical texts from the Abbasid Caliphate period. Khalid ibn Yamin, an administrator in the 9th century, is cited in some texts for his contributions to the management of state affairs. This example illustrates the use of the surname as a marker of personal or familial identity in Islamic administration.
In the Iberian Peninsula, during the period of Al-Andalus (711-1492), a scholar known as Yaqoob Yamin was documented in various manuscripts for his works in Islamic jurisprudence and philosophy. His writings in Granada, a major center of learning during the 12th century, were influential among contemporary academics and serve as a testament to the propagation of the surname across different regions.
During the Ottoman Empire, the name Yamin spread to other parts of the empire including the Balkans and Anatolia. Historical records mention Ismail Yamin, a 16th-century Ottoman poet who contributed significantly to the corpus of Ottoman Divan literature. His works were recognized for their lyrical beauty and are still studied by scholars of Ottoman literature.
In the Indian subcontinent, the surname Yamin was also adopted by people of Persian and Central Asian descent who migrated during the Mughal Empire (1526-1857). One notable individual was Ali Yamin, a court musician in the court of the Mughal Emperor Akbar during the late 16th century. His contributions to the development of Indian classical music were well-regarded.
Lastly, in more recent historical contexts, Said Yamin, born in 1885 and passing in 1948, was an influential political figure in early 20th-century Egypt. He played a significant role in nationalist movements advocating for independence from British rule, securing his place in the annals of modern Middle Eastern history.
The surname Yamin encapsulates a rich history marked by migration, cultural integration, and significant contributions to various fields such as administration, scholarship, literature, music, and politics. Its origins in the Arabic language root it firmly in the traditions of the Middle East while its spread to other regions highlights the dynamic interplay of culture and identity over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Yamin
Among Census respondents with the surname Yamin, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (19.9%) and Hispanic (9.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Yamin 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 Yamin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White66.1% · 508
- Asian and Pacific Islander19.9% · 153
- Hispanic or Latino9.6% · 74
- Two or more races2.7% · 21
- Black or African American1.7% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Yamin
Yamin 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
#40,745
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 536
-4 bearers (-0.7%)
Per 100,000 0.18
Rank movement Down 2,221 places
2020
#32,142
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 769
+233 bearers (+43.5%)
Per 100,000 0.26
Rank movement Up 8,603 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #38,524 | 540 | 0.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #40,745 | 536 | 0.18 | -4 bearers (-0.7%) | Down 2,221 places |
| 2020 | #32,142 | 769 | 0.26 | +233 bearers (+43.5%) | Up 8,603 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 Yamin 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 | #40,745 | #32,142 | 21.1% |
| Count | 536 | 769 | 43.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.18 | 0.26 | 42.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Yamin bearers went from 536 to 769 (+43.5% change). The surname moved up 8,603 positions in the national ranking, going from #40,745 to #32,142.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Yamin
FAQ
Yamin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Yamin?
Name Census estimates that about 882 living Americans carry the surname Yamin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 388,610 residents.
How common is Yamin?
Yamin ranks #32,142 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.26 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 769 people with the surname Yamin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (882), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.26 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.26 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 Yamin.
Has Yamin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Yamin went from 536 recorded bearers to 769. That is an increase of 233 (+43.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #40,745 to #32,142.
What does the Census say about the background of Yamin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Yamin, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (19.9%) and Hispanic (9.6%). 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 Yamin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.1% (508 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Yamin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (66.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (19.9%), Hispanic (9.6%). 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 Yamin (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 Yamin mean?
A surname of Arabic origin meaning "right" or "right-handed". 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 Yamin (0.26 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 have the surname Yamin?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.