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

Yang, 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 Yang surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Yang in America

Yang is the 290th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Yang surname appeared 106,033 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 36 people would have the surname Yang.

We can also compare 2010 data for Yang 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 Yang

The surname YANG is of Chinese origin and has been in use for centuries. It is derived from the Chinese word "yang," which means "sun" or "masculine." This is likely a reference to the concept of yin and yang, the principles of duality that are central to Chinese philosophy and culture.

The earliest known record of the YANG surname dates back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), where it was found in historical records and literature of the time. During this period, the YANG surname was particularly prevalent in the regions of Henan and Shandong provinces.

One of the earliest notable individuals with the YANG surname was Yang Guang (569-619 AD), an emperor of the Sui Dynasty who reigned from 604 to 618 AD. He was known for his ambitious construction projects, including the expansion of the Grand Canal and the rebuilding of the Great Wall.

Another prominent figure from history was Yang Zongbao (1735-1801), a Qing Dynasty scholar and poet who was renowned for his translations of Western literature and his contributions to the field of phonology.

In the 13th century, Marco Polo, the famous Venetian explorer, mentioned the YANG surname in his travel writings, indicating that the name was well-established in China at that time.

During the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the YANG surname was associated with several influential families, including the Yangs of Huai'an, who were known for their cultural and scholarly achievements.

One of the most famous individuals with the YANG surname was Yang Liwei (born in 1965), a former Chinese astronaut and the first person from China to travel into space. He piloted the Shenzhou 5 spacecraft in 2003, ushering in a new era of Chinese space exploration.

Throughout history, the YANG surname has been found in various parts of China, with concentrations in regions like Hebei, Shaanxi, and Jiangsu provinces. It has also been adopted by ethnic Chinese communities around the world, reflecting the widespread diaspora of Chinese people over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Yang

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!