Yellin last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Yellin

A surname derived from the Yiddish word for yellow, possibly indicating a nickname for someone with yellow hair.

Yellin, 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 Yellin surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Yellin in America

Yellin is the 31873rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Yellin surname appeared 724 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Yellin.

We can also compare 2010 data for Yellin 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 31873 29481 7.80%
Count 724 755 -4.19%
Proportion per 100k 0.25 0.28 -11.32%

The history of the last name Yellin

The surname Yellin likely originates from Eastern Europe, particularly from the regions that are present-day Poland, Russia, and Ukraine. It is derived from the Yiddish name Jelin or Yelin, which itself comes from the Hebrew name "Yehiel" meaning "May God live." This surname is usually associated with Jewish families who adopted it as a family name.

In historical records, the Yellin name first appears in various forms in the 18th century, within Jewish communities in Eastern Europe. There are indications that the surname was used by prominent rabbinical families, flourishing during the times when Jews in these regions were often required to adopt fixed surnames for administrative purposes.

The earliest recorded examples of the surname include Rabbi Jehiel Yellin, born in 1789, who was an influential scholar in Minsk. His works and interpretations of Jewish law are well regarded among historians and religious scholars. Another early reference is to Jacob Yellin, a merchant in Vilnius around the early 19th century, whose business records were noted for their dealings within the region's growing economy.

During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the name Yellin appeared particularly in academic and intellectual circles. Hillel Yellin, born in 1867, was an important Zionist activist and writer. His contributions to Hebrew literature and his efforts towards establishing a Jewish homeland were profoundly significant during his time. Yellin emigrated to Palestine where his name continued to influence educational and political spheres until his death in 1944.

An outstanding figure in the realm of architecture and design was Boris Yellin, who was born in 1895 in Ukraine. He became a renowned architect in Soviet Russia, known for designing public buildings that exemplify Stalinist architecture. His legacy in Soviet-era building design is well-documented, and his influence extended well into the mid-20th century before his death in 1952.

Moving to the United States, among the significant figures is David Yellin, a noted American linguist and professor, born in 1913. His studies and publications on Semitic languages contributed greatly to the academic understanding of Hebrew and related languages. David Yellin's career spanned several decades until his passing in 1992, during which he was revered as an academic authority.

Another influential personality was Janet Yellin, born in 1946, who became an eminent economist and the first woman to serve as Chair of the Federal Reserve in the United States. Her contributions to economic policy have been instrumental in shaping modern fiscal policies. She continues to be a major figure in economic circles, influencing both national and international financial strategies.

The surname Yellin has thus carried historical weight and significance across a variety of fields, from religious scholarship and architecture to economics and academic studies. Each bearer of the name has contributed to its rich historical and cultural narrative, demonstrating the diverse impact individuals with this surname have had throughout history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Yellin

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

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 Yellin was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 96.96% 702
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.24% 9
Hispanic Origin 1.10% 8

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 Yellin has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 96.96% 98.01% -1.08%
Black (S)% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Two or More Races 1.24% 0.00% 200.00%
Hispanic 1.10% 1.59% -36.43%

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

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

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"Yellin last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/yellin-surname-popularity/.

"Yellin last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/yellin-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 November, 2024

Yellin last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/yellin-surname-popularity/.

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