2000
#10,881
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,686
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.00
Rare Last name
Yau
A Chinese surname meaning "young" or "friend," or referring to someone from the ancient state of Yao.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,776 Americans carry the last name Yau. That puts it at #9,454 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 90,772 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Yau 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 Yau with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.8K
1 in 90,772
Census rank
#9,454
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,293 bearers of the surname Yau in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9454th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Yau, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and White (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Yau
The surname Yau originates from the Southern Chinese province of Guangdong, where it emerged in the late 7th century during the Tang Dynasty. It is believed to be derived from the Cantonese word "yau," which means "wealthy" or "prosperous." This connection suggests that the name was initially given to families who had achieved a certain level of affluence or success.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Yau surname can be found in the genealogical records of the Tang Dynasty, where it is mentioned in relation to a prominent family from the city of Guangzhou. This family was known for their successful trading ventures and their involvement in the local government.
During the Song Dynasty, which ruled from 960 to 1279, the Yau surname gained further recognition. Several individuals bearing this name held important positions within the imperial court, including Yau Chun-Fai, a renowned scholar and poet who lived from 1022 to 1088.
In the 13th century, the Yau surname appeared in the historical records of the Yuan Dynasty, which governed over a vast territory that included modern-day China, Mongolia, and parts of Russia. One notable figure from this period was Yau Siu-Ling, a military commander who played a significant role in the conquest of the Dali Kingdom in Yunnan Province.
As the centuries passed, the Yau surname spread across various regions of China, with notable individuals emerging in different fields. During the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), Yau Ching-Yan (1470-1523) was a celebrated painter and calligrapher, renowned for his exquisite landscape paintings and his mastery of the cursive script.
In the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912), the Yau surname continued to be associated with prominent figures. Yau Ying-Shun (1724-1805) was a highly respected scholar and philosopher who made significant contributions to the Neo-Confucian movement. His works on ethics and social harmony had a lasting impact on Chinese intellectual thought.
Beyond China, the Yau surname has also been documented in various overseas Chinese communities, particularly in Southeast Asia and North America. One of the most notable figures with this surname is Yau Shing-Tung (1905-1994), a renowned mathematician and physicist who made groundbreaking contributions to the field of differential geometry and was awarded the prestigious Wolf Prize in 1983.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Yau
Among Census respondents with the surname Yau, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and White (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Yau 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 Yau surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander90.5% · 2,981
- Two or more races3.5% · 115
- White2.8% · 92
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 88
- Black or African American0.5% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Yau
Yau 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
#10,565
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,033
+347 bearers (+12.9%)
Per 100,000 1.03
Rank movement Up 316 places
2020
#9,454
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,293
+260 bearers (+8.6%)
Per 100,000 1.10
Rank movement Up 1,111 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,881 | 2,686 | 1.00 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,565 | 3,033 | 1.03 | +347 bearers (+12.9%) | Up 316 places |
| 2020 | #9,454 | 3,293 | 1.10 | +260 bearers (+8.6%) | Up 1,111 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 Yau 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 | #10,565 | #9,454 | 10.5% |
| Count | 3,033 | 3,293 | 8.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.03 | 1.10 | 7.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Yau bearers went from 3,033 to 3,293 (+8.6% change). The surname moved up 1,111 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,565 to #9,454.
FAQ
Yau surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Yau?
Name Census estimates that about 3,776 living Americans carry the surname Yau. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 90,772 residents.
How common is Yau?
Yau ranks #9,454 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.10 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 3,293 people with the surname Yau. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,776), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.10 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 Yau.
Has Yau become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Yau went from 3,033 recorded bearers to 3,293. That is an increase of 260 (+8.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,565 to #9,454.
What does the Census say about the background of Yau?
Among Census respondents with the surname Yau, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and White (2.8%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Yau in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.5% (2,981 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Yau appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (90.5%), Two or More Races (3.5%), White (2.8%). 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 Yau (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 Yau mean?
A Chinese surname meaning "young" or "friend," or referring to someone from the ancient state of Yao. 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 Yau (1.10 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 last name Yau?
You can see how many people are called Yau on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.