2000
#137,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Yerden
A surname derived from a Turkish topographic term meaning "from the ground" or "of the ground."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Yerden. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Yerden 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Yerden in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Yerden, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Yerden
The surname Yerden is believed to have origins in Northern Europe, particularly in regions that are today parts of the Netherlands and Germany. The earliest forms of the name likely date back to the late medieval period, around the 14th to 15th centuries. Areas such as Friesland and Lower Saxony are notable for early mentions of similar surnames, given their shared linguistic and cultural history.
The name Yerden is thought to be derived from an old Germanic word, possibly related to "yard" or "garden," indicating an association with land, cultivation, or a specific geographic feature. Variants of the name, including "Jardan" and "Jarden," appear in historical documents from the 16th and 17th centuries, reflecting slight linguistic shifts over time.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Yerden can be found in church records from the Friesland area in the Netherlands, dating back to the late 1500s. Over time, various spellings were documented in marriage, baptismal, and land ownership records, showing the distribution and anglicization of the name through different locales and time periods.
Famous historical figures with the surname Yerden include Pieter Yerden, a farmer from Friesland, born in 1589, who was documented in several land tenure records. In the 17th century, Maria Yerden, born in 1625, was known for her written letters detailing life in the north of what is today the Netherlands. Another notable individual was Johan Yerden, a merchant whose business records from the early 18th century offer insight into trade practices of the time.
In England, the name appears in parish records from the late 1700s, with William Yerden, born in 1764, who was noted for his involvement in local governance in the county of Norfolk. During the 19th century, Elisabeth Yerden, born in 1822, made an impact through her work with charitable organizations in London, indicating the surname's spread and integration into broader British society.
Continued historical research and genealogical studies provide greater insight into the evolution and distribution of the surname Yerden. Early registries and community records point toward a significant presence in rural and coastal areas, where the name often coincided with occupations related to agriculture and trade, underscoring the connection to land and economic activities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Yerden
Among Census respondents with the surname Yerden, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Yerden 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 Yerden surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.5% · 101
- Two or more races4.6% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Yerden
Yerden 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,385 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-5 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,734 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #137,816 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 8,385 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 4,734 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 Yerden 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 | #146,201 | #150,935 | -3.2% |
| Count | 113 | 108 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Yerden bearers went from 113 to 108 (-4.4% change). The surname moved down 4,734 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #150,935.
FAQ
Yerden surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Yerden?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Yerden. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Yerden?
Yerden ranks #150,935 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 108 people with the surname Yerden. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Yerden.
Has Yerden become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Yerden went from 113 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Yerden?
Among Census respondents with the surname Yerden, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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 Yerden in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.5% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Yerden appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.5%), Two or More Races (4.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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 Yerden (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 Yerden mean?
A surname derived from a Turkish topographic term meaning "from the ground" or "of the ground." 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 Yerden (0.04 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 Yerden?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Yerden on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.