2000
#9,431
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,162
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.17
Rare Last name
Yarnell
A habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "eagle hill" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,493 Americans carry the last name Yarnell. That puts it at #10,086 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.02 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 98,126 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Yarnell 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 Yarnell with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.5K
1 in 98,126
Census rank
#10,086
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,046 bearers of the surname Yarnell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.02 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10086th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Yarnell, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Yarnell
The surname Yarnell originated in England during the 13th century. It is a locational name derived from a place called Yarnfield, located in the West Midlands region of England. The name is believed to be derived from the Old English words "gearn," meaning "yarn," and "feld," meaning "field," suggesting a connection to an area where wool or yarn was produced or traded.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Yarnell can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which lists a person named Adam de Yernefeld. This document was a survey of landowners in England, providing valuable insights into the distribution and variations of surnames during that time period.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as Yernfeld, Yarnfeld, and Yarnfelde, reflecting the local dialects and spelling variations common in medieval England.
The Yarnell surname can be traced to several historical figures throughout the centuries. One notable individual was John Yarnell (c. 1545-1597), an English clergyman and author who served as the Archdeacon of Chichester in the late 16th century.
Another prominent bearer of the name was William Yarnell (1673-1751), a Quaker leader and landowner in Pennsylvania, United States. He was among the early English settlers in the region and played a significant role in the establishment of the Quaker community there.
In the 18th century, Thomas Yarnell (1713-1784) was a respected English physician and author who wrote several medical treatises, including "An Inquiry into the Causes of the Cure of the Putrid Fever" (1778).
Moving forward to the 19th century, Samuel Yarnell (1819-1892) was an American businessman and philanthropist from Philadelphia. He made significant contributions to educational institutions and charitable organizations in the city.
Lastly, Albert Yarnell (1867-1935) was a renowned American architect known for designing several notable buildings in the Los Angeles area, including the Los Angeles City Hall and the Griffith Observatory.
Throughout history, variations of the Yarnell surname have been associated with various locations and place names, such as Yarnfield, Yarnbury, and Yarnton, further reinforcing its locational origins and connections to specific geographic areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Yarnell
Among Census respondents with the surname Yarnell, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Yarnell 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 Yarnell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 2,767
- Two or more races4.3% · 130
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 70
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 30
- Black or African American1.0% · 29
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Yarnell
Yarnell 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
#9,643
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,365
+203 bearers (+6.4%)
Per 100,000 1.14
Rank movement Down 212 places
2020
#10,086
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,046
-319 bearers (-9.5%)
Per 100,000 1.02
Rank movement Down 443 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,431 | 3,162 | 1.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,643 | 3,365 | 1.14 | +203 bearers (+6.4%) | Down 212 places |
| 2020 | #10,086 | 3,046 | 1.02 | -319 bearers (-9.5%) | Down 443 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 Yarnell 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 | #9,643 | #10,086 | -4.6% |
| Count | 3,365 | 3,046 | -9.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.14 | 1.02 | -10.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Yarnell bearers went from 3,365 to 3,046 (-9.5% change). The surname moved down 443 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,643 to #10,086.
FAQ
Yarnell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Yarnell?
Name Census estimates that about 3,493 living Americans carry the surname Yarnell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 98,126 residents.
How common is Yarnell?
Yarnell ranks #10,086 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.02 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,046 people with the surname Yarnell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,493), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.02 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.02 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Yarnell.
Has Yarnell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Yarnell went from 3,365 recorded bearers to 3,046. That is a decrease of 319 (-9.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,643 to #10,086.
What does the Census say about the background of Yarnell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Yarnell, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Yarnell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (2,767 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Yarnell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Two or More Races (4.3%), Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Yarnell (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 Yarnell mean?
A habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "eagle hill" in Old English. 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 Yarnell (1.02 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 Yarnell?
See how common the surname Yarnell is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.