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

Yem, 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 Yem surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Yem in America

Yem is the 41579th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Yem surname appeared 523 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 Yem.

We can also compare 2010 data for Yem 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 Yem

The surname Yem is intriguing and relatively rare, with most of its historical roots traced back to ancient periods in what is now modern-day Turkey. Predominantly associated with regions inhabited by the Anatolian civilizations, the name Yem is derived from an old word used in the ancient Anatolian languages, meaning “earth” or “soil.” This likely points to origins tied to agrarian communities where the land was central to existence.

Old records from the Byzantine Empire contain references to the surname Yem. Among the oldest manuscripts, a document dating back to the 9th century AD includes the name in the context of land ownership within the empire. Another medieval source, the Manzikert Manuscript of 1071, mentions an early recorded individual named Basilios Yem, a provincial governor who played a notable role during the time of the Battle of Manzikert.

Between the 12th and 14th centuries, the Yem family appears in various regional records, especially in administrative directories. An early example is Symeon Yem, born in 1135 and deceased in 1199, a scholar and advisor to the court of the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum, reflecting the name's persistence and prominence in governing circles.

In the 15th century, tombstones and church records across the Pontic region reveal the surname Yem recurring in several instances. One notable personality from this period is Eudokia Yem, born in 1446 and died in 1503, a philanthropist and founder of an orphanage near present-day Trabzon. Her contributions were significant enough to be recorded in the ecclesiastical annals of the region.

The Ottoman Era continued to see the name Yem present in various capacities. Mehmed Yem, born in 1602 and deceased in 1678, was a notable military leader who participated in the numerous wars of expansion during the height of the Ottoman Empire. His service records illustrate the involvement of the Yem family in the military affairs of one of history's vast empires.

In the late 18th century, Assan Yem emerged as a poet and intellectual, born in 1754 and passing away in 1815. His poetry, blending classical Ottoman Turkish influence with local vernacular dialects, left an indelible mark on cultural expressions of the period. His works are still studied today for their linguistic richness and historical insights.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Yem

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

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

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

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