2000
#124,109
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Yanker
A surname possibly derived from a nickname for someone who engaged in excessive boasting or bragging.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Yanker. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Yanker 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Yanker in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Yanker, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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Earliest historical references to the name come from various German and Polish records, though exact documents have often been lost or poorly preserved.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Yanker
Among Census respondents with the surname Yanker, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Yanker 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 Yanker surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.5% · 96
- Hispanic or Latino9.9% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Yanker
Yanker 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
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-18 bearers (-14.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 25,286 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 730 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,109 | 128 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | -18 bearers (-14.1%) | Down 25,286 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Up 730 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 Yanker 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 | #149,395 | #148,665 | 0.5% |
| Count | 110 | 111 | 0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Yanker bearers went from 110 to 111 (+0.9% change). The surname moved up 730 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #148,665.
FAQ
Yanker surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Yanker?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Yanker. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Yanker?
Yanker ranks #148,665 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 111 people with the surname Yanker. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Yanker.
Has Yanker become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Yanker went from 110 recorded bearers to 111. That is an increase of 1 (+0.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #149,395 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Yanker?
Among Census respondents with the surname Yanker, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Yanker in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.5% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Yanker appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.5%), Hispanic (9.9%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%). 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 Yanker (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 Yanker mean?
A surname possibly derived from a nickname for someone who engaged in excessive boasting or bragging. 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 Yanker (0.04 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 people have the surname Yanker?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.