2000
#6,977
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,429
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.64
Rare Last name
Yancy
English occupational surname for a person who worked as a servant or attendant in a noble household.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,780 Americans carry the last name Yancy. That puts it at #7,657 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.39 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 71,706 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Yancy 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.
Bearers in the US
4.8K
1 in 71,706
Census rank
#7,657
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,168 bearers of the surname Yancy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.39 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7657th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Yancy, the largest self-reported group is Black at 53.8%. The next largest groups are White (35.4%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Yancy
The surname Yancy is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period, deriving from the Old English personal name "Ēanċing," which means "one who is bold or daring." This name was commonly found in regions such as Surrey, Kent, and Essex.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Yancy can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Eancinge." This historical document, commissioned by William the Conqueror, served as a comprehensive record of landholdings and population across England.
Over time, the name underwent various spelling variations, including Yancey, Yancy, Yancye, and Yancye. Some of these variations were influenced by regional dialects and pronunciation differences.
In the 13th century, a record from the Assize Court Rolls of Yorkshire mentions a Richard Yancy, indicating the presence of the surname in that region during that period.
Notable individuals bearing the Yancy surname include Sir John Yancy (1555-1621), an English merchant and member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers. He played a significant role in establishing trade routes with the Ottoman Empire.
Another prominent figure was William Yancy (1782-1842), an American politician and lawyer from South Carolina. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives and advocated for states' rights and nullification.
In the literary world, Samuel Yancy Atkinson (1841-1903) was an American writer and educator from North Carolina. He authored several works, including "The Lays of the Scottish Cavaliers" and "The Pedagogue's Manual."
The surname Yancy also has connections to place names. For instance, Yancey County in North Carolina is named after a prominent local family that bore this surname.
Another noteworthy individual was Robert Yancy Hayne (1791-1839), an American politician and lawyer from South Carolina. He served as a United States Senator and was a staunch advocate for states' rights and nullification, often clashing with Daniel Webster on these issues.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Yancy
Among Census respondents with the surname Yancy, the largest self-reported group is Black at 53.8%. The next largest groups are White (35.4%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Yancy 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 Yancy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American53.8% · 2,243
- White35.4% · 1,474
- Two or more races5.3% · 219
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 183
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 26
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 23
Timeline
Historical Census data for Yancy
Yancy 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
#7,580
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,384
-45 bearers (-1.0%)
Per 100,000 1.49
Rank movement Down 603 places
2020
#7,657
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,168
-216 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 1.39
Rank movement Down 77 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,977 | 4,429 | 1.64 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,580 | 4,384 | 1.49 | -45 bearers (-1.0%) | Down 603 places |
| 2020 | #7,657 | 4,168 | 1.39 | -216 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 77 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 Yancy 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 | #7,580 | #7,657 | -1.0% |
| Count | 4,384 | 4,168 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.49 | 1.39 | -6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Yancy bearers went from 4,384 to 4,168 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 77 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,580 to #7,657.
FAQ
Yancy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Yancy?
Name Census estimates that about 4,780 living Americans carry the surname Yancy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 71,706 residents.
How common is Yancy?
Yancy ranks #7,657 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.39 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 4,168 people with the surname Yancy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,780), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.39 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.39 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 Yancy.
Has Yancy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Yancy went from 4,384 recorded bearers to 4,168. That is a decrease of 216 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,580 to #7,657.
What does the Census say about the background of Yancy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Yancy, the largest self-reported group is Black at 53.8%. The next largest groups are White (35.4%) and Two or More Races (5.3%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Yancy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 53.8% (2,243 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Yancy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (53.8%), White (35.4%), Two or More Races (5.3%). 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 Yancy (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 Yancy mean?
English occupational surname for a person who worked as a servant or attendant in a noble household. 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 Yancy (1.39 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 Yancy?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.