2010
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Yatteau
A local surname derived from a French town name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Yatteau. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Yatteau 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Yatteau in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Yatteau, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Yatteau
The surname Yatteau has its origins in France, likely dating back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated in the northern regions of France, perhaps in the areas around Normandy or Picardy where many surnames have a similar etymology. The name Yatteau could be derived from the Old French word "gateau," meaning "cake," indicating a possible occupation as a baker or confectioner. Alternatively, it might stem from a place name, suggesting a geographical origin for early bearers of the name.
The earliest references to the surname Yatteau can be traced to the late 14th and early 15th centuries, appearing in various local records and manuscripts. Although the name does not appear in the most famous historical documents like the Domesday Book, it can be found in regional French parish records and legal documents from that time. Variations in spelling, such as "Yateau," "Yattot," and "Yattou," can also be noted in these early records.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname is from 1423, when a Jean Yatteau appeared in a legal document in the town of Rouen. Further records from the 16th century show a Pierre Yatteau as a landowner in Picardy, indicating that the family had gained some status and wealth by this period.
Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, the name Yatteau continued to be documented in various forms. In 1678, a Marie Yatteau was recorded in the marriage registers of Amiens, a city in northern France, which demonstrates the family's continued presence in the region. Around the same time, a François Yatteau was noted as a merchant in Normandy, highlighting the diverse occupations the bearers of the name engaged in.
The 19th century saw the emergence of notable individuals with the surname Yatteau. One such individual was Henri Yatteau (1802-1865), a respected lawyer and politician in the region of Brittany. His contributions to local governance and jurisprudence left a significant mark on his community. Another prominent figure was Louise Yatteau (1834-1899), an accomplished artist whose paintings gained recognition in Parisian art circles.
As the surname evolved, there were also documented migrations of families bearing this name to other parts of the world, particularly to French-speaking Canada and parts of the United States. Pierre Yatteau, born in 1820, emigrated to Quebec in 1845, where he established a successful fur trading business. This migration contributed to the spread of the name outside of France.
The name Yatteau, though relatively rare today, carries with it a rich history of regional French roots, with early origins tied to occupations and places. The documented presence of individuals bearing the name through various centuries highlights its enduring legacy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Yatteau
Among Census respondents with the surname Yatteau, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Yatteau 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 Yatteau surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.0% · 107
- Two or more races3.5% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Yatteau
Yatteau appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+15 bearers (+15.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 15,218 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | +15 bearers (+15.0%) | Up 15,218 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 Yatteau 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 | #160,975 | #145,757 | 9.5% |
| Count | 100 | 115 | 15.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 28.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Yatteau bearers went from 100 to 115 (+15.0% change). The surname moved up 15,218 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #145,757.
FAQ
Yatteau surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Yatteau?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Yatteau. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Yatteau?
Yatteau ranks #145,757 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 115 people with the surname Yatteau. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Yatteau.
Has Yatteau become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Yatteau went from 100 recorded bearers to 115. That is an increase of 15 (+15.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Yatteau?
Among Census respondents with the surname Yatteau, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%). 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 Yatteau in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.0% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Yatteau appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.0%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%). 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 Yatteau (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 Yatteau mean?
A local surname derived from a French town name. 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 Yatteau (0.04 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 Yatteau?
Find out how common the surname Yatteau is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.