2000
#12,573
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,259
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.84
Rare Last name
Yeoman
An occupational surname referring to a servant or attendant in a royal or noble household.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,393 Americans carry the last name Yeoman. That puts it at #13,866 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 143,232 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Yeoman 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 Yeoman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 143,232
Census rank
#13,866
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,087 bearers of the surname Yeoman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13866th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Yeoman, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Black (5.1%) and Hispanic (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Yeoman
The surname "YEOMAN" has its origins in medieval England, dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "geman," which means a villager or a peasant freeholder. The word later evolved into "yeman" and eventually "yeoman."
The earliest recorded use of the surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1194, where a person named Richard le Yeman is mentioned. The name also appears in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1279, referring to a John le Yeman.
Yeoman was initially used as an occupational surname, referring to a class of small freeholders who owned and cultivated their own land. They were considered a cut above the ordinary peasantry but below the gentry or nobility. The yeomen played a significant role in medieval English society, often serving as archers or foot soldiers in the military.
One of the earliest notable figures with the surname Yeoman was Sir John Yeoman, a wealthy merchant and landowner from Lincolnshire, who lived in the late 14th century. He was a prominent figure in the city of Lincoln and served as the city's Mayor in 1395.
Another well-known individual with this surname was Robert Yeoman, a renowned architect from the 16th century. He was responsible for the design and construction of several notable buildings, including parts of the Hampton Court Palace in London, which was commissioned by King Henry VIII.
In the 17th century, William Yeoman was a prominent lawyer and politician from Yorkshire. He served as a Member of Parliament for Knaresborough from 1640 to 1653 and played an active role in the English Civil War, supporting the Parliamentarian cause.
During the 18th century, John Yeoman was a notable writer and poet from Warwickshire. He published several works, including a collection of poems titled "The Poetical Works of John Yeoman" in 1772.
Another figure of note was Thomas Yeoman, a renowned clockmaker from London, who lived in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He was known for his exceptional craftsmanship and produced some of the finest clocks of his time, many of which are still highly prized by collectors today.
The surname Yeoman has maintained its presence throughout the centuries, with various spellings and variations emerging in different regions, such as Yeman, Yoman, and Yeomen. It continues to be a recognizable surname, particularly in areas of England where it originated.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Yeoman
Among Census respondents with the surname Yeoman, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Black (5.1%) and Hispanic (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Yeoman 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 Yeoman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.0% · 1,774
- Black or African American5.1% · 106
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 88
- Two or more races4.0% · 83
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Yeoman
Yeoman 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
#13,259
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,302
+43 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Down 686 places
2020
#13,866
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,087
-215 bearers (-9.3%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Down 607 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,573 | 2,259 | 0.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,259 | 2,302 | 0.78 | +43 bearers (+1.9%) | Down 686 places |
| 2020 | #13,866 | 2,087 | 0.70 | -215 bearers (-9.3%) | Down 607 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 Yeoman 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 | #13,259 | #13,866 | -4.6% |
| Count | 2,302 | 2,087 | -9.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.78 | 0.70 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Yeoman bearers went from 2,302 to 2,087 (-9.3% change). The surname moved down 607 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,259 to #13,866.
FAQ
Yeoman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Yeoman?
Name Census estimates that about 2,393 living Americans carry the surname Yeoman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 143,232 residents.
How common is Yeoman?
Yeoman ranks #13,866 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.70 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 2,087 people with the surname Yeoman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,393), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.70 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 Yeoman.
Has Yeoman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Yeoman went from 2,302 recorded bearers to 2,087. That is a decrease of 215 (-9.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,259 to #13,866.
What does the Census say about the background of Yeoman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Yeoman, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Black (5.1%) and Hispanic (4.2%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Yeoman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.0% (1,774 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Yeoman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.0%), Black (5.1%), Hispanic (4.2%). 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 Yeoman (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 Yeoman mean?
An occupational surname referring to a servant or attendant in a royal or noble household. 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 Yeoman (0.70 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 are called Yeoman?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Yeoman, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.