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

Yeoh, 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 Yeoh surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Yeoh in America

Yeoh is the 62359th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Yeoh surname appeared 321 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 Yeoh.

We can also compare 2010 data for Yeoh 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 Yeoh

The surname Yeoh has its origins in the Southeast Asian region, with significant prevalence in Malaysia and Singapore. The name is of Chinese descent, particularly from the Hokkien or Teochew dialects, where it is rendered as Yáng in Mandarin. The characters associated with Yeoh (usually 杨 in Mandarin) mean 'poplar tree' or 'willow tree,' pointing to a natural feature or symbolic representation within the culture.

Tracing back to historical times, Chinese surnames often originated from the various ancient Chinese dynasties and were passed down through several generations. The surname Yeoh can be linked to the Yang family, one of the most common surnames in China, which means it dates back to at least the Zhou Dynasty around the 11th to 3rd centuries BC. Variations in spelling occurred due to regional pronunciations and the transliteration methods used when Chinese people migrated to different parts of Southeast Asia.

Throughout history, the surname Yeoh appears in various records and manuscripts. In early Southeast Asian documents, the name might have been transcribed differently depending on the European colonial power governing the region, such as the British in Malaysia and Singapore. Notable is the adaptation of Chinese surnames during the Straits Settlements era in the 19th century, where records would show different Romanizations of the same surname.

One of the earliest recorded examples of the surname Yeoh in modern history involves Yeoh Tiong Lay (born 1930, died 2017), a prominent Malaysian businessman and founder of the YTL Corporation, which played a significant role in the development of Malaysia's infrastructure. His successes brought considerable recognition to the name, linking it to modern industrial progress in Malaysia.

Another notable individual is Michelle Yeoh, born in 1962. She is an internationally acclaimed actress known for her roles in action films and for breaking barriers in the film industry as one of the first Asian actresses to gain significant success in Hollywood. Her career has spanned several decades, bringing attention to the name Yeoh beyond Southeast Asian borders.

Yeoh Ghim Seng (1918–2000) was another significant bearer of the surname. He served as the Speaker of the Parliament of Singapore from 1970 to 1989. His contribution to Singapore’s political landscape marks a historical reference point for the name in the context of governance and public service.

In the academic field, Yeoh Eng-kiong, born in 1946, stands out. He served as the Secretary for Health, Welfare, and Food in Hong Kong and has made significant contributions to public health and hospital management in the region.

Lastly, Yeoh Cheng Han (born 1950), a renowned scientist specializing in ophthalmology, has also contributed notably to medical research, particularly in the field of contemporary treatments for eye diseases. His work has earned international recognition, further situating the surname Yeoh within the annals of scientific achievement.

The surname Yeoh thus has a rich history, crossing geographic, professional, and cultural boundaries, and continues to be associated with notable achievements and contributions in various fields around the world.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Yeoh

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

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

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

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