2000
#12,858
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,194
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.81
Rare Last name
Yeo
A Chinese surname meaning "to shine" or "glorious," or an English occupational surname referring to a yeoman farmer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,650 Americans carry the last name Yeo. That puts it at #9,730 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 93,905 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Yeo 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Yeo with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.6K
1 in 93,905
Census rank
#9,730
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,183 bearers of the surname Yeo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9730th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Yeo, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 56.4%. The next largest groups are White (35.2%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Yeo
Among Census respondents with the surname Yeo, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 56.4%. The next largest groups are White (35.2%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Yeo 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 Yeo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander56.4% · 1,794
- White35.2% · 1,122
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 109
- Black or African American2.5% · 80
- Two or more races2.4% · 75
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Yeo
Yeo 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
#11,272
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,805
+611 bearers (+27.8%)
Per 100,000 0.95
Rank movement Up 1,586 places
2020
#9,730
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,183
+378 bearers (+13.5%)
Per 100,000 1.06
Rank movement Up 1,542 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,858 | 2,194 | 0.81 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,272 | 2,805 | 0.95 | +611 bearers (+27.8%) | Up 1,586 places |
| 2020 | #9,730 | 3,183 | 1.06 | +378 bearers (+13.5%) | Up 1,542 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 Yeo 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 | #11,272 | #9,730 | 13.7% |
| Count | 2,805 | 3,183 | 13.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.95 | 1.06 | 12.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Yeo bearers went from 2,805 to 3,183 (+13.5% change). The surname moved up 1,542 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,272 to #9,730.
FAQ
Yeo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Yeo?
Name Census estimates that about 3,650 living Americans carry the surname Yeo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 93,905 residents.
How common is Yeo?
Yeo ranks #9,730 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.06 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 3,183 people with the surname Yeo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,650), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.06 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 Yeo.
Has Yeo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Yeo went from 2,805 recorded bearers to 3,183. That is an increase of 378 (+13.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,272 to #9,730.
What does the Census say about the background of Yeo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Yeo, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 56.4%. The next largest groups are White (35.2%) and Hispanic (3.4%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Yeo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 56.4% (1,794 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Yeo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (56.4%), White (35.2%), Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Yeo (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 Yeo mean?
A Chinese surname meaning "to shine" or "glorious," or an English occupational surname referring to a yeoman farmer. 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 Yeo (1.06 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 people have the last name Yeo?
You can see how many people have the surname Yeo on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.