2000
#20,180
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,228
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.46
Rare Last name
Yeargin
An Anglicized form of a French surname derived from a place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,420 Americans carry the last name Yeargin. That puts it at #21,507 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.41 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 241,376 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Yeargin 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
1.4K
1 in 241,376
Census rank
#21,507
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,238 bearers of the surname Yeargin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.41 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 21507th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Yeargin, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.6%. The next largest groups are Black (30.5%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Yeargin
The surname Yeargin is believed to have its origins in the British Isles, with the earliest references tracing back to Medieval England. The name is thought to be an anglicized form of an older, possibly Norse or Old English surname. The Old English word "earh", meaning "arrow," combined with the suffix "gin" or "gen," which could denote "descendant of" or "offspring," might have contributed to its formation. This would render the name Yeargin as referring to someone descended from an archer or bowman.
The geographical roots of the surname can be pinpointed to areas in the north of England, particularly Yorkshire and Lancashire, where many surnames of Norse origin were established due to Viking settlements. Similar names appearing in these regions include Yergen and Yergenes, suggesting a common ancestor or a shared linguistic transformation over time.
Historical references to the surname Yeargin can be found in several old records and manuscripts. One of the earliest recorded instances appears in the 13th century, in the form of a John de Yeargan, noted in a 1276 legal document regarding land ownership in Yorkshire. Another early mention is found in the Subsidy Rolls of Lancashire in 1332, where a Richard Yeargan appears as a taxpayer.
Among the notable bearers of the surname is Sir Edward Yeargin, born in 1452, who was a knight under the reign of King Henry VII and played a role in the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485. Another key figure is Thomas Yeargin, a merchant from London, recorded in trade documents from 1583. He was instrumental in the establishment of early trade routes between England and the Baltic states.
In the 17th century, the name surfaces again with Elizabeth Yeargin, born in 1624, who was involved in the early Quaker movement. Her activism and writings were significant during the tumultuous period leading up to the English Civil War. A different bearer, Robert Yeargin, born in 1689, is noted for being one of the early settlers in the American colonies, specifically in Virginia, where he helped establish one of the first Virginian tobacco plantations.
The 18th century records also include Benjamin Yeargin, a noted inventor in Bristol, born in 1731. He is remembered for his contributions to early mechanical engineering, with several patents attributed to his name related to agricultural machinery.
The surname Yeargin, with its deep historical and geographical roots, illustrates the evolution of language and culture over the centuries, linking its bearers to a rich tapestry of historical events and societal developments.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Yeargin
Among Census respondents with the surname Yeargin, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.6%. The next largest groups are Black (30.5%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Yeargin 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 Yeargin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White61.6% · 762
- Black or African American30.5% · 377
- Two or more races5.1% · 63
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 27
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Yeargin
Yeargin 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
#20,394
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,303
+75 bearers (+6.1%)
Per 100,000 0.44
Rank movement Down 214 places
2020
#21,507
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,238
-65 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.41
Rank movement Down 1,113 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #20,180 | 1,228 | 0.46 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #20,394 | 1,303 | 0.44 | +75 bearers (+6.1%) | Down 214 places |
| 2020 | #21,507 | 1,238 | 0.41 | -65 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 1,113 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 Yeargin 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 | #20,394 | #21,507 | -5.5% |
| Count | 1,303 | 1,238 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.44 | 0.41 | -5.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Yeargin bearers went from 1,303 to 1,238 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 1,113 positions in the national ranking, going from #20,394 to #21,507.
FAQ
Yeargin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Yeargin?
Name Census estimates that about 1,420 living Americans carry the surname Yeargin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 241,376 residents.
How common is Yeargin?
Yeargin ranks #21,507 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.41 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 1,238 people with the surname Yeargin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,420), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.41 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.41 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 Yeargin.
Has Yeargin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Yeargin went from 1,303 recorded bearers to 1,238. That is a decrease of 65 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #20,394 to #21,507.
What does the Census say about the background of Yeargin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Yeargin, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.6%. The next largest groups are Black (30.5%) and Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Yeargin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 61.6% (762 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Yeargin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (61.6%), Black (30.5%), Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Yeargin (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 Yeargin mean?
An Anglicized form of a French surname derived from a place 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 Yeargin (0.41 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 Yeargin?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Yeargin? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.