2000
#10,408
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,838
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.05
Rare Last name
Yeary
Derived from a place name meaning "yew tree" or "dwelling place by the yew tree" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,042 Americans carry the last name Yeary. That puts it at #11,363 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.89 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 112,674 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Yeary 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
3.0K
1 in 112,674
Census rank
#11,363
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,653 bearers of the surname Yeary in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.89 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11363rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Yeary, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Black (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Yeary
The surname YEARY has its origins in England, emerging around the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "gearu," meaning "ready" or "prepared." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a descriptive nickname to someone who was particularly well-prepared or diligent in their work.
According to historical records, the earliest known bearers of the YEARY surname hailed from the counties of Wiltshire and Somerset in southwestern England. The name appeared in various spellings, such as YERY, YERIE, and YEARIE, reflecting the regional dialects and the lack of standardized spelling during that period.
One of the earliest documented references to the YEARY surname can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Wiltshire from 1327, which mentions a John YERY. Additionally, the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Somerset from 1332 record a William YEARY as a taxpayer in the village of Pilton.
In the 15th century, the YEARY surname appeared in the records of the Church of St. Mary's in Taunton, Somerset, where a Thomas YEARY was christened in 1487. This church still stands today and has preserved many historical records from that era.
Notable individuals with the YEARY surname throughout history include:
1. Richard YEARY (c. 1520 - 1587), a prominent landowner and merchant from Salisbury, Wiltshire, who played a significant role in the local wool trade.
2. Elizabeth YEARY (1612 - 1678), a Puritan settler who emigrated to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1635 and became one of the founders of the town of Andover.
3. John YEARY (1745 - 1821), a British soldier who served in the American Revolutionary War and later settled in Upper Canada (modern-day Ontario).
4. Sarah YEARY (1792 - 1868), a pioneering educator and advocate for women's education in the early 19th century United States. She established one of the first female seminaries in New England.
5. William YEARY (1825 - 1901), a renowned architect from London who designed several notable buildings, including the West Brompton Station and the Hammersmith Town Hall.
While the YEARY surname may have originated as a descriptive nickname, it has since become a proud part of the heritage and history of many families, spanning multiple generations and continents.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Yeary
Among Census respondents with the surname Yeary, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Black (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Yeary 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 Yeary surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.1% · 2,336
- Two or more races5.0% · 133
- Black or African American2.9% · 76
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 69
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Yeary
Yeary 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
#11,223
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,818
-20 bearers (-0.7%)
Per 100,000 0.96
Rank movement Down 815 places
2020
#11,363
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,653
-165 bearers (-5.9%)
Per 100,000 0.89
Rank movement Down 140 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,408 | 2,838 | 1.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,223 | 2,818 | 0.96 | -20 bearers (-0.7%) | Down 815 places |
| 2020 | #11,363 | 2,653 | 0.89 | -165 bearers (-5.9%) | Down 140 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 Yeary 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 | #11,223 | #11,363 | -1.2% |
| Count | 2,818 | 2,653 | -5.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.96 | 0.89 | -7.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Yeary bearers went from 2,818 to 2,653 (-5.9% change). The surname moved down 140 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,223 to #11,363.
FAQ
Yeary surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Yeary?
Name Census estimates that about 3,042 living Americans carry the surname Yeary. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 112,674 residents.
How common is Yeary?
Yeary ranks #11,363 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.89 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 2,653 people with the surname Yeary. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,042), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.89 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.89 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 Yeary.
Has Yeary become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Yeary went from 2,818 recorded bearers to 2,653. That is a decrease of 165 (-5.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,223 to #11,363.
What does the Census say about the background of Yeary?
Among Census respondents with the surname Yeary, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Black (2.9%). 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 Yeary in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.1% (2,336 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Yeary appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.1%), Two or More Races (5.0%), Black (2.9%). 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 Yeary (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 Yeary mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "yew tree" or "dwelling place by the yew tree" 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 Yeary (0.89 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 Americans have the surname Yeary?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.