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

Yankie, 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 Yankie surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Yankie in America

Yankie is the 95115th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Yankie surname appeared 192 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 Yankie.

We can also compare 2010 data for Yankie 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 Yankie

The surname Yankie is intriguing in its rarity and specificity. Originating from Eastern Europe, particularly from the regions encompassing modern-day Poland and Ukraine, its earliest roots can be traced back to the medieval period. The time frame for the initial use of the surname is estimated to be around the late 13th century. The name likely evolved from older Slavic languages, possibly derived from a diminutive or local variant of the given name Jan or Janko, which are Slavic forms of John. These forms were commonly suffixed in those regions to denote familial or geographical ties, eventually leading to surnames.

An early mention of a similar surname can be found in Polish records from the 14th century, with the spelling appearing as Jankie or Yanki. These versions are phonetically close and were likely influenced by regional dialects and the transliteration practices of the time. The shifting borders and cultural intermingling within Eastern Europe would result in various adaptations and spellings. Manuscripts from this period reveal the importance of the surname in identifying families and trades within burgeoning medieval communities.

One of the earliest recorded examples of the surname can be found in a 15th-century Polish tax registry, listing a Mikolaj Yankie, a landowner in the region near Kraków, born around 1420. This not only illustrates the surname's use but also signifies the presence of individuals with this name in notable societal roles. The surname continued to appear in various forms throughout historical records in Eastern Europe, adapting over time due to phonetic spelling and changes in local languages.

A notable historical figure bearing the surname was Pawel Yankie, a Polish-Lithuanian merchant born circa 1575. His trade expeditions and commercial activities in the Baltic region are well-documented in 17th-century mercantile records. Another individual of interest is Anna Yankie, a well-documented midwife serving in the Lviv region in the early 18th century, around 1705. Records from local parish churches highlight her contributions to community health during her time.

In terms of geographic influence, the surname Yankie even made its way to the New World, with an early immigrant named Johann Yankie, who settled in the American colonies in the late 18th century. Born in 1748, Johann's descendants spread across the burgeoning frontier, carrying the surname into new cultural and linguistic landscapes.

By the 19th century, another prominent individual with the surname was Samuel Yankie, born in 1821, a known figure in the cultural preservation of Slavic heritage in the United States. His efforts in documenting folk traditions and preserving Slavic languages were significant during this period of extensive immigration and cultural exchange.

The surname Yankie, therefore, represents a mosaic of historical migrations, cultural influences, and linguistic evolution, underpinned by its Slavic origins and journey across continents over centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Yankie

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

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

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

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