2000
#6,849
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,524
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.68
Rare Last name
Yepez
A Spanish surname derived from the place name Yepes, which likely refers to someone from that town or area.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,295 Americans carry the last name Yepez. That puts it at #5,289 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 46,985 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Yepez 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.
Bearers in the US
7.3K
1 in 46,985
Census rank
#5,289
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,362 bearers of the surname Yepez in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5289th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Yepez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.4%. The next largest groups are White (4.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Yepez
The surname Yepez originated in Spain and can be traced back to the late 15th century. It is believed to have derived from the Spanish word "yepe," which referred to a type of shrub or bush commonly found in the Iberian Peninsula. The name may have initially been used as a descriptive surname, referring to someone who lived near or worked with these shrubs.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Yepez surname appears in the chronicles of the Spanish conquest of the Americas. In 1513, a soldier named Juan de Yepez accompanied Vasco Núñez de Balboa on his expedition across the Isthmus of Panama, becoming one of the first Europeans to lay eyes on the Pacific Ocean.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Yepez surname began to spread throughout Spain and its colonies in the Americas. In 1578, a man named Alonso de Yepez was born in Seville, Spain, and later became a renowned Catholic priest and author, writing several theological texts.
In the late 17th century, a prominent member of the Yepez family was Juan de Yepez y Mendoza (1630-1695), a Spanish nobleman and military leader who served as the viceroy of New Spain (present-day Mexico) from 1688 to 1692. His tenure was marked by efforts to improve infrastructure and defend the colony against foreign threats.
Another notable figure with the Yepez surname was the Mexican writer and philosopher José Vasconcelos Yepez (1882-1959), who was a prominent figure in the Mexican Revolution and later served as the Secretary of Public Education, promoting education and cultural reforms.
In more recent history, the Mexican-American artist Sergio Yepez (1941-2022) gained recognition for his vibrant paintings and murals celebrating Chicano culture and identity. His work was featured in numerous exhibitions and public spaces throughout the United States and Mexico.
While the Yepez surname may have originated from humble beginnings, referring to a common shrub, it has been carried by many influential individuals throughout history, from military leaders and viceroys to writers, artists, and revolutionaries. The name continues to be prevalent in Spanish-speaking communities around the world, reflecting its deep roots in the Iberian Peninsula and its diaspora across the Americas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Yepez
Among Census respondents with the surname Yepez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.4%. The next largest groups are White (4.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Yepez 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 Yepez surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino94.4% · 6,007
- White4.5% · 285
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 26
- Two or more races0.3% · 18
- Black or African American0.2% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Yepez
Yepez 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
#5,411
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,433
+1,909 bearers (+42.2%)
Per 100,000 2.18
Rank movement Up 1,438 places
2020
#5,289
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,362
-71 bearers (-1.1%)
Per 100,000 2.13
Rank movement Up 122 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,849 | 4,524 | 1.68 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,411 | 6,433 | 2.18 | +1,909 bearers (+42.2%) | Up 1,438 places |
| 2020 | #5,289 | 6,362 | 2.13 | -71 bearers (-1.1%) | Up 122 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 Yepez 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 | #5,411 | #5,289 | 2.3% |
| Count | 6,433 | 6,362 | -1.1% |
| Per 100K | 2.18 | 2.13 | -2.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Yepez bearers went from 6,433 to 6,362 (-1.1% change). The surname moved up 122 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,411 to #5,289.
FAQ
Yepez surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Yepez?
Name Census estimates that about 7,295 living Americans carry the surname Yepez. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 46,985 residents.
How common is Yepez?
Yepez ranks #5,289 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.13 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,362 people with the surname Yepez. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,295), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.13 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Yepez.
Has Yepez become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Yepez went from 6,433 recorded bearers to 6,362. That is a decrease of 71 (-1.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,411 to #5,289.
What does the Census say about the background of Yepez?
Among Census respondents with the surname Yepez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.4%. The next largest groups are White (4.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.4%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Yepez in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.4% (6,007 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Yepez appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (94.4%), White (4.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.4%). 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 Yepez (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 Yepez mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the place name Yepes, which likely refers to someone from that town or area. 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 Yepez (2.13 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 common is the surname Yepez?
You can see how many people have the surname Yepez on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.