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

Yeo, 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 Yeo surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Yeo in America

Yeo is the 11272nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Yeo surname appeared 2,805 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 Yeo.

We can also compare 2010 data for Yeo 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 Yeo

The surname Yeo is of English origin, deriving from a place name in Somerset, England, believed to have meant "the gated entrance" or "gateway" in Old English. The earliest records of the name date back to the late 11th century, shortly after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066.

One of the earliest known references to the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of landholdings and wealth across much of England and parts of Wales. The entry mentions a landowner named Willelmus de Io, likely an early spelling variation of Yeo.

By the 13th century, the surname had evolved into its more recognizable modern form, with records showing individuals named Yeo residing in various parts of Somerset and neighboring counties. One notable early bearer of the name was Walter Yeo, a prominent merchant and landowner in Somerset who lived in the late 13th and early 14th centuries.

Over the centuries, the Yeo surname spread across England, with branches of the family establishing themselves in various regions, including Devon, Cornwall, and Gloucestershire. Some notable individuals with the surname Yeo include:

1. Sir Walter Yeo (c.1518-1619), an English soldier and courtier who served under Queen Elizabeth I and is believed to have lived to the remarkable age of 101.

2. Richard Yeo (1584-1659), an English clergyman and author who served as Rector of Freiston in Lincolnshire.

3. James Yeo (1782-1818), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars and participated in several significant battles, including the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.

4. Sir James Lucas Yeo (1794-1868), a British naval officer and explorer who served in the War of 1812 and later became a prominent surveyor and explorer in the British colonies.

5. Thomas Yeo (1839-1914), an English-born Australian politician and businessman who served as a member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly and was involved in various commercial ventures in Melbourne.

While the Yeo surname is found predominantly in England and its former colonies, it has also appeared in various other parts of the world, likely through migration and intermarriage over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Yeo

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

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

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

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