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

Yap, 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 Yap surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Yap in America

Yap is the 7261st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Yap surname appeared 4,590 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Yap.

We can also compare 2010 data for Yap 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 Yap

The surname Yap has its origins in Malaysia and Indonesia. It is believed to have derived from the Malay word "yapak" which means "to spread out" or "to unfurl". The name may have been given to someone who lived near a flat or open area.

In the 15th century, the name Yap appeared in records of the Sultanate of Malacca, a major maritime trading empire in Southeast Asia. The earliest known mention was in a 1412 inscription that listed a court official named Yap Seng Chye.

The Yap surname can also be traced back to the island of Pulau Yap (also known as Yap Island) in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean. Historical documents from the 16th century refer to inhabitants of this island using the surname Yap.

One of the earliest recorded examples of the Yap name is found in the "Sejarah Melayu" (Malay Annals), a literary work from the 17th century that chronicles the history of the Malay Sultanate. It mentions a figure named Yap Ah Kong who was a prominent merchant during that era.

In the 19th century, a notable individual with the Yap surname was Yap Ah Loy (1837-1885), a Chinese Kapitan (leader) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia who played a significant role in the development of the city.

Another historically significant person was Yap Raf (1890-1962), a Malay nationalist and politician who advocated for Indonesian independence from Dutch colonial rule.

During the 20th century, Yap Kwan Seng (1900-1996) was a renowned Chinese-Malaysian businessman and philanthropist who established the Yap Kwan Seng Foundation to support education and social welfare initiatives.

In the field of literature, Yap Sau Yin (1916-1984) was a respected Chinese-Malaysian writer and playwright who contributed greatly to the development of modern Malay literature.

Lastly, Yap Kim Hock (1914-2005) was a prominent Malaysian artist and painter known for his watercolor landscapes and depictions of rural life in Southeast Asia.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Yap

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

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

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

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