2000
#19,657
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,269
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.47
Rare Last name
Yarnall
An Anglo-Saxon surname derived from the Old English words "gearn" meaning yarn and "heal" meaning hall or house, possibly referring to an early yarn seller or yarn merchant.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,433 Americans carry the last name Yarnall. That puts it at #21,322 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.42 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 239,187 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Yarnall 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Yarnall with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.4K
1 in 239,187
Census rank
#21,322
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,250 bearers of the surname Yarnall in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.42 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 21322nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Yarnall, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.2%) and Hispanic (1.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Yarnall
The surname Yarnall has its origins in England and can be traced back several centuries. The name is largely believed to derive from the Old English words "earn" meaning eagle, and "halh," which denotes a nook or valley. This etymology suggests that the original bearers of the name may have lived in a secluded area frequented by eagles, or merely in a nook or corner of land.
Yarnall first surfaces in historical records during the High Middle Ages. Specifically, it can be traced to the counties of Cheshire and Lancashire. In these regions, variations of the surname such as Yarnold and Yarndell have been documented. These spellings indicate slight regional linguistic differences and the fluid nature of surname orthography during these early periods. References to the surname can be found in manorial rolls, tax records, and parish registers, some dating as far back as the late 13th century.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name appears in the Subsidy Rolls of the county of Cheshire in 1327, where a Hugo Yarnolde is listed. It is notable that surnames during this period were not fixed and could vary significantly even within the same family line. These records highlight the name's deep roots within the region and provide a glimpse into the socioeconomic activities of its bearers.
The Yarnall surname is also linked to place names and local geography. There's an area known as Yarnolds in Cheshire, which reinforces the likelihood that the surname was originally toponymic, referring to someone who hailed from this specific locale. Additionally, in the Domesday Book of 1086, while the name Yarnall itself does not appear, similar early forms and derivations exist in the recorded names of minor landowners and tenants-in-chief.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the Yarnall surname. Among them is Thomas Yarnall, born in 1652, who emigrated to the American colonies and was one of the early Quaker settlers in Pennsylvania. His descendants played integral roles in the development of the Quaker community in the New World. Another was Joseph Yarnall, born in 1755, who served as a captain during the American Revolutionary War and significantly contributed to the colonial fight for independence.
Moving into the 19th century, Reuben Yarnall, born in 1793, made his mark as an influential farmer and community leader in Ohio. His efforts were instrumental in agricultural development and local governance. In the realm of politics, Ellis Yarnall, born in 1841, served with distinction as a state legislator in Pennsylvania and was known for his advocacy of educational reforms.
Francis Yarnall, born in 1865, became an accomplished engineer whose contributions to early infrastructure projects in the northeastern United States were highly regarded. His engineering works, particularly in the design and construction of bridges, left a lasting legacy in public works.
The Yarnall surname has traversed through time and geography, undergoing slight variations yet consistently maintaining its connection to its early English roots. The bearers of the name have contributed significantly across various fields, leaving an indelible mark in historical records and societal development.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Yarnall
Among Census respondents with the surname Yarnall, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.2%) and Hispanic (1.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Yarnall 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 Yarnall surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.8% · 1,197
- Two or more races2.2% · 27
- Hispanic or Latino1.4% · 18
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 4
- Black or African American0.2% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Yarnall
Yarnall 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
#20,780
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,271
+2 bearers (+0.2%)
Per 100,000 0.43
Rank movement Down 1,123 places
2020
#21,322
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,250
-21 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.42
Rank movement Down 542 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #19,657 | 1,269 | 0.47 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #20,780 | 1,271 | 0.43 | +2 bearers (+0.2%) | Down 1,123 places |
| 2020 | #21,322 | 1,250 | 0.42 | -21 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 542 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 Yarnall 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 | #20,780 | #21,322 | -2.6% |
| Count | 1,271 | 1,250 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.43 | 0.42 | -2.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Yarnall bearers went from 1,271 to 1,250 (-1.7% change). The surname moved down 542 positions in the national ranking, going from #20,780 to #21,322.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Yarnall
FAQ
Yarnall surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Yarnall?
Name Census estimates that about 1,433 living Americans carry the surname Yarnall. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 239,187 residents.
How common is Yarnall?
Yarnall ranks #21,322 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.42 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 1,250 people with the surname Yarnall. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,433), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.42 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.42 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 Yarnall.
Has Yarnall become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Yarnall went from 1,271 recorded bearers to 1,250. That is a decrease of 21 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #20,780 to #21,322.
What does the Census say about the background of Yarnall?
Among Census respondents with the surname Yarnall, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.2%) and Hispanic (1.4%). 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 Yarnall in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.8% (1,197 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Yarnall appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.8%), Two or More Races (2.2%), Hispanic (1.4%). 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 Yarnall (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 Yarnall mean?
An Anglo-Saxon surname derived from the Old English words "gearn" meaning yarn and "heal" meaning hall or house, possibly referring to an early yarn seller or yarn merchant. 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 Yarnall (0.42 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 common is the surname Yarnall?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Yarnall? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.