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

Yancey, 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 Yancey surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Yancey in America

Yancey is the 2656th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Yancey surname appeared 13,566 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 5 people would have the surname Yancey.

We can also compare 2010 data for Yancey 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 Yancey

The surname Yancey is of English origin, believed to have emerged in the 16th century. It is thought to be a variant spelling of the Old English name "Ianc" or "Ianec," derived from the personal name "John." The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in parish records from the counties of Gloucestershire and Hertfordshire.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Thomas Yancey, who was born in Gloucestershire in 1568. Records indicate that he was a merchant and landowner in the town of Tewkesbury. Another early example is William Yancey, born in Hertfordshire in 1592, who served as a parish clerk in the village of Ashwell.

The Yancey name also appears in the Domesday Book, a manuscript record of landholdings compiled in 1086 under the orders of William the Conqueror. The entry refers to a landowner named "Ianc" in the county of Wiltshire, which may have been an early spelling variation of the name.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Yancey family established roots in various parts of England, particularly in the counties of Somerset, Devon, and Cornwall. Notable individuals from this period include Sir Robert Yancey (1620-1687), a wealthy merchant and alderman in the city of Bristol, and Reverend John Yancey (1674-1741), a Church of England clergyman who served as the rector of St. Mary's Church in Exeter.

As the British Empire expanded, some Yanceys immigrated to the American colonies in the 18th and 19th centuries. One of the earliest and most prominent figures was William Lowndes Yancey (1814-1863), a politician and orator from Alabama who was a leading advocate for secession and played a significant role in the events leading up to the American Civil War.

Other notable individuals with the Yancey surname include Clarence Yancey (1877-1938), an American lawyer and politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Texas; Bill Yancey (1942-2009), an American professional golfer who won several titles on the PGA Tour; and Martha Yancey (1900-1981), an American painter and textile artist known for her innovative fabric designs.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Yancey

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

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

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

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