2000
#8,615
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,516
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.30
Rare Last name
Yanes
A Spanish toponymic surname indicating someone from any of various places called Yanes, derived from the Latin Iohannes, meaning "John."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,469 Americans carry the last name Yanes. That puts it at #5,892 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.89 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 52,984 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Yanes 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
6.5K
1 in 52,984
Census rank
#5,892
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,641 bearers of the surname Yanes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.89 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5892nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Yanes, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.1%. The next largest groups are White (7.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Yanes
The surname Yanes is believed to have originated in Spain, deriving from the Arabic name "Yahya" or "Yanes," which means "John" or "God is gracious." This name was commonly adopted by Sephardic Jews and Moriscos (Muslims who converted to Christianity) during the Middle Ages in Spain.
The earliest known record of the Yanes surname dates back to the 14th century in the region of Andalusia, Spain. During this time, the name appeared in various medieval manuscripts and records, reflecting the presence of Sephardic Jewish and Morisco communities in the area.
One notable historical reference to the Yanes surname can be found in the archives of the Spanish Inquisition, where several individuals bearing this name were documented as individuals of Jewish or Morisco descent.
Among the earliest recorded individuals with the Yanes surname was Rabbi Yitzhak ben Yehuda Yanes, a renowned Jewish scholar and philosopher who lived in the 14th century in Seville, Spain. He authored several works on Jewish law and philosophy, and his writings were widely influential in the Sephardic Jewish community.
Another prominent figure was Alonso Yanes, a Spanish explorer who accompanied Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the Americas in 1493. Yanes was one of the first Europeans to set foot in the Caribbean and played a role in the early exploration and settlement of the region.
In the 16th century, the Yanes surname was also found in various parts of Spain, including the regions of Aragon and Catalonia. One notable individual from this period was Pedro Yanes, a Spanish painter and sculptor who lived in Valencia in the late 16th century. His works were celebrated for their intricate details and religious themes.
During the 17th century, the Yanes surname spread to the Americas as a result of Spanish colonization. One notable figure was Juan Yanes, a Spanish military officer and explorer who participated in the conquest of Chile in the early 1600s. He was known for his leadership skills and played a significant role in the establishment of Spanish settlements in the region.
Another prominent individual was Juana Yanes, a Spanish-American woman who lived in Mexico in the late 17th century. She was a wealthy landowner and philanthropist, known for her generosity and support of various charitable causes, particularly in the field of education.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Yanes
Among Census respondents with the surname Yanes, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.1%. The next largest groups are White (7.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Yanes 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 Yanes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino90.1% · 5,082
- White7.8% · 442
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 52
- Black or African American0.7% · 39
- Two or more races0.4% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Yanes
Yanes 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
#6,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,140
+1,624 bearers (+46.2%)
Per 100,000 1.74
Rank movement Up 2,025 places
2020
#5,892
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,641
+501 bearers (+9.7%)
Per 100,000 1.89
Rank movement Up 698 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,615 | 3,516 | 1.30 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,590 | 5,140 | 1.74 | +1,624 bearers (+46.2%) | Up 2,025 places |
| 2020 | #5,892 | 5,641 | 1.89 | +501 bearers (+9.7%) | Up 698 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 Yanes 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 | #6,590 | #5,892 | 10.6% |
| Count | 5,140 | 5,641 | 9.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.74 | 1.89 | 8.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Yanes bearers went from 5,140 to 5,641 (+9.7% change). The surname moved up 698 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,590 to #5,892.
FAQ
Yanes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Yanes?
Name Census estimates that about 6,469 living Americans carry the surname Yanes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 52,984 residents.
How common is Yanes?
Yanes ranks #5,892 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.89 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,641 people with the surname Yanes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,469), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.89 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.89 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Yanes.
Has Yanes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Yanes went from 5,140 recorded bearers to 5,641. That is an increase of 501 (+9.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,590 to #5,892.
What does the Census say about the background of Yanes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Yanes, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.1%. The next largest groups are White (7.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Yanes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.1% (5,082 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Yanes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (90.1%), White (7.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Yanes (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 Yanes mean?
A Spanish toponymic surname indicating someone from any of various places called Yanes, derived from the Latin Iohannes, meaning "John." 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 Yanes (1.89 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 Yanes?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.