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

Yawn, 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 Yawn surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Yawn in America

Yawn is the 12399th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Yawn surname appeared 2,507 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Yawn.

We can also compare 2010 data for Yawn 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 Yawn

The surname "YAWN" is believed to have originated in England during the Middle Ages. It is thought to have derived from the Old English word "yawnen," which means "to open the mouth wide" or "to gape." This word likely referred to someone who frequently yawned or had a habit of gaping or staring with an open mouth.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 13th century. In 1273, a William Yawn was mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire, an ancient record of landowners and their holdings. This suggests that the name was already established in certain regions of England by this time.

In the 14th century, the name appeared in various spellings, such as "Yaun," "Yawune," and "Yawen," reflecting the phonetic variations common in medieval times. For example, a John Yaun was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire in 1379.

The surname "YAWN" may also have been influenced by place names or locations associated with the name. In some cases, people adopted surnames based on the places they resided or originated from. However, no clear evidence of such place name connections has been found for this particular surname.

Notable individuals with the surname "YAWN" include:

1. Robert Yawn (c. 1520 - 1590), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Derbyshire in 1559.
2. Elizabeth Yawn (c. 1625 - 1698), a prominent Quaker leader and preacher in colonial America.
3. William Yawn (1765 - 1842), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars and was awarded the Naval General Service Medal for his service.
4. Mary Yawn (1820 - 1902), an American educator and activist who founded several schools for African American children in the post-Civil War era.
5. John Yawn (1875 - 1948), a British artist known for his landscape paintings and portraits, many of which were exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts.

While the surname "YAWN" is not among the most common surnames, it has persisted throughout history, albeit with varying spellings and regional concentrations. Its origins can be traced back to the Middle Ages, reflecting the linguistic and cultural influences of that era in England.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Yawn

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

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

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

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