2000
#125,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Yanow
A Jewish surname derived from the Hebrew name Yonah meaning "dove".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 155 Americans carry the last name Yanow. That puts it at #131,120 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,211,318 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Yanow 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
155
1 in 2,211,318
Census rank
#131,120
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
135
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 135 bearers of the surname Yanow in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 131120th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Yanow, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Yanow
The surname Yanow has roots that trace back to Eastern Europe, with strong associations to Jewish and Slavic origins. The name is believed to have originated in the 19th century, around the regions that are modern-day Poland, Ukraine, and Belarus. It is a surname with Jewish Ashkenazi roots, commonly appearing among the Jewish populations of these regions.
Yanow may derive from the Yiddish or Hebrew name Yona, which means "dove." The suffix "-ow" is a common Slavic suffix that implies "from" or "belonging to." Hence, Yanow could historically mean "son of or belonging to Yona." Another possibility is that Yanow is a toponymic surname, relating to a specific place which might have been named Yanov or a village with a similar name in Eastern Europe.
Historical references to the surname Yanow are relatively scarce but do appear in records and documents pertaining to Jewish communities in Eastern Europe. The name can be found in synagogue records, old prayer books, and community registries from the 1800s. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name was in a Jewish community record from 1815 in what was then the Russian Empire.
One of the earliest well-documented individuals with the surname Yanow is Avraham Yanow, born in 1824 in a shtetl (small town) in Poland. Another significant figure was Meyer Yanow, whose records show he was an influential rabbi in Ukraine around the mid-19th century. He was born in 1838 and became known for his teachings and writings, which have been found in various Jewish historical archives.
In the 20th century, Morris Yanow was an immigrant from Belarus who became a prominent businessman in New York City. Born in 1881, Morris arrived in the United States around 1900 and later founded several successful enterprises. His story is well-documented in the annals of New York's immigrant business history.
Another notable Yanow is Simon Yanow, a Lithuanian-born Jewish activist who was influential during the early 20th century. Born in 1895, Simon was known for his involvement in labor movements and Jewish community organizations in Lithuania and later in the United States.
Lastly, Ted Yanow was a well-known figure in the London Jewish community during the early to mid-20th century. Born in 1910, Ted contributed significantly to Jewish cultural preservation and sponsored many events aimed at maintaining Jewish traditions.
Throughout history, the surname Yanow has been carried by individuals who contributed to cultural, religious, and social spheres, maintaining its connection to its Eastern European Jewish heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Yanow
Among Census respondents with the surname Yanow, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Yanow 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 Yanow surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.6% · 129
- Hispanic or Latino1.5% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 1
- Two or more races0.7% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Yanow
Yanow 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
#133,048
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
+1 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,409 places
2020
#131,120
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 135
+8 bearers (+6.3%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 1,928 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #125,639 | 126 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #133,048 | 127 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 7,409 places |
| 2020 | #131,120 | 135 | 0.05 | +8 bearers (+6.3%) | Up 1,928 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 Yanow 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 | #133,048 | #131,120 | 1.4% |
| Count | 127 | 135 | 6.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.05 | 12.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Yanow bearers went from 127 to 135 (+6.3% change). The surname moved up 1,928 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,048 to #131,120.
FAQ
Yanow surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Yanow?
Name Census estimates that about 155 living Americans carry the surname Yanow. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,211,318 residents.
How common is Yanow?
Yanow ranks #131,120 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 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 135 people with the surname Yanow. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (155), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 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 Yanow.
Has Yanow become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Yanow went from 127 recorded bearers to 135. That is an increase of 8 (+6.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #133,048 to #131,120.
What does the Census say about the background of Yanow?
Among Census respondents with the surname Yanow, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.5%). 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 Yanow in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.6% (129 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Yanow appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.6%), Hispanic (1.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.5%). 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 Yanow (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 Yanow mean?
A Jewish surname derived from the Hebrew name Yonah meaning "dove". 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 Yanow (0.05 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 Yanow?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.