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

Yanker, 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 Yanker surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Yanker in America

Yanker is the 149395th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Yanker surname appeared 110 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 Yanker.

We can also compare 2010 data for Yanker 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 Yanker

The surname Yanker has its origins in Central and Eastern Europe, particularly in regions that are now part of modern-day Germany and Poland. The name first appeared during the late Middle Ages, around the 14th or 15th century. It is derived from the Middle High German word janke, a diminutive of the personal name Jan, which itself is a form of Johannes or John. The addition of the suffix -er typically indicates a geographic or occupational origin, meaning "son of Janke" or "from the place of Jan."

Earliest historical references to the name come from various German and Polish records, though exact documents have often been lost or poorly preserved. One of the earliest recorded instances is found in a baptismal record from 1432 in the region that is now western Poland. Additionally, some variations of the name were found in tax rolls and legal documents from the 15th century. In these documents, spellings such as Janker, Yankher, and Yankar were occasionally used, reflecting the fluid nature of spelling in historical records.

One notable individual bearing the surname Yanker was Hans Yanker, born in 1527 and documented as a merchant in the Hanseatic League's trade records. Another prominent figure was Wilhelm Yanker, a scholar and early proponent of Reformation ideas in the early 16th century, who was born in 1495 and contributed to several theological treatises until his death in 1554.

In the 17th century, the name appeared in emigration records as families moved from Central Europe to the Iberian Peninsula, particularly during the Thirty Years' War. Maria Yanker, born in 1621 and died in 1677, was one such migrant who ultimately settled in what is now Spain. She became noteworthy for her involvement in the local textile trade.

The 18th and 19th centuries saw further dispersion of the name, including to North America. Johann Peter Yanker, born in 1752, emigrated to Pennsylvania in 1776 and established a successful farming business. His descendants would continue to hold the surname and maintain its presence in early American records.

Another interesting figure is Ludwig Yanker (1823-1889), who emerged as a political figure during the revolutions of 1848 in the German states. After the failure of the revolution, he emigrated to the United States and continued his activism, contributing significantly to early labor movements.

These historical threads weave a rich tapestry of the Yanker surname, tracing its evolution through different regions and eras. The consistent element through the centuries has been the connection to the personal name Jan, reflecting a common practice in medieval Europe of constructing surnames from given names. The people bearing this surname have made their marks in various fields, from trade and scholarship to politics, reflecting a diverse array of contributions to their societies.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Yanker

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

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

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

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