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

Yanish, 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 Yanish surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Yanish in America

Yanish is the 55962nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Yanish surname appeared 366 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Yanish.

We can also compare 2010 data for Yanish 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 Yanish

The surname Yanish is believed to have its origins in Eastern Europe, particularly within the regions of what are now Poland, Lithuania, and Belarus. This surname appears to be of Slavic derivation, rooted in the Ashkenazi Jewish community. The name may be a variation of the Jewish surname Janisch or Janiszewski, which evolved over time through transliteration and regional dialects.

The name likely derives from the given name Jan, which is the Slavic form of John, meaning "God is gracious" based on the Hebrew Yohanan. In the case of Ashkenazi Jews, such names were common as they often adopted or adapted local names that were familiar yet still distinct. Additionally, the suffix -ish or -isch is commonly found in Slavic and Yiddish surnames, making Yanish a plausible formation from Jan.

Early historical references to variants of Yanish can be traced back to the 17th and 18th centuries, evident in Jewish records and tax documents in the specified regions. The name appears in the vital records of Lithuanian Jewish communities, reflecting the presence of families named Yanish or similar variants.

One historical figure with this surname is Zalman Yanish, a Jewish merchant born around 1750 in Vilnius, noted in records for his contributions to local commerce. Another notable individual is Leah Yanish, who lived in the early 19th century and was involved in the education of Jewish women in Krakow. Mikhail Yanish, born in 1821 in Minsk, was a respected rabbi and scholar whose writings contributed to Talmudic studies.

In the latter half of the 19th century, the name appears in immigration records as families moved to America. Samuel Yanish, born in 1859, immigrated to New York in 1881 and became a prominent figure in his community, advocating for the rights of Jewish immigrants.

Lastly, Elias Yanish, born in 1874 in a small village in what is now modern-day Belarus, is documented to have migrated to London in 1895, where he established a successful tailoring business and contributed to the local Jewish community.

Throughout history, the surname Yanish and its variants have signified the bearer’s heritage and regional affiliations within the diverse Slavic Jewish diaspora.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Yanish

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

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

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

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