2000
#150,436
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Yerka
A surname of uncertain origin, possibly deriving from a place name or having an occupational meaning.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Yerka. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Yerka 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Yerka in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Yerka, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Yerka
The surname Yerka is believed to have originated from Slavic regions, specifically within the areas that make up modern-day Poland and the Czech Republic. The surname's earliest documented use dates back to the medieval period, approximately between the 14th and 15th centuries. Yerka is thought to derive from several possible roots, one of which is the Old Slavic word "jerka," a term that could be related to the Slovak or Czech word "jerka," meaning "strong, resilient."
Historical references to the surname Yerka show a variation in spelling, including Jurka and Jerka, indicating regional influences and adaptations over time. One of the earliest records comes from a Polish manuscript dated around 1435, where a landowner named Marek Yerka was documented in Krakow. This suggests Yerka families held significant status in their communities.
Throughout the centuries, the Yerka surname started spreading to neighboring regions. In the early 1500s, a record from Prague mentions a craftsman named Tomas Yerka, highlighting the surname's prevalence beyond Poland into the Czech territories. The surname often appeared in guild registrations and municipal records, indicating the social and economic roles people with this surname played.
In the 17th century, Martin Yerka, born in 1621, was a notable figure in the region now known as Belarus. He was a respected figure in Vilnius and documented in several legal texts pertaining to land disputes and local governance.
Coming into the 18th century, one finds prominent records of Jan Yerka, born in 1730 in Warsaw, known for being part of the early movement of printing and publication in Poland. His contributions to Polish literature and local newspapers were well-documented and illustrate the growth of the surname into intellectual and cultural sectors.
Another significant individual was Julius Yerka, a military officer born in 1825 in what is now part of Ukraine but was then considered part of the broader Polish territories. He played a role in the various uprisings against Russian dominion during the late 19th century, ensuring that the name Yerka was associated with patriotism and resilience.
Notably, by the early 20th century, Anna Yerka, born in 1896, emerged as a scholar and educator known for her work in Slavic linguistic studies. She authored several papers and books, contributing significantly to the understanding of Slavic languages and cultures. Her work was widely respected, and she is credited with expanding the academic presence of the surname.
The Yerka surname, therefore, embodies a rich historical tapestry reflective of the cultural and socio-political dynamics within Eastern Europe. Each mention and record of the name tells a story of strength, resilience, and influential contribution to the local and broader community.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Yerka
Among Census respondents with the surname Yerka, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Yerka 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 Yerka surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 111
Timeline
Historical Census data for Yerka
Yerka 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
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
+5 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,471 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+6 bearers (+5.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,242 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #150,436 | 100 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+5.0%) | Down 4,471 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.7%) | Up 6,242 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 Yerka 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 | #154,907 | #148,665 | 4.0% |
| Count | 105 | 111 | 5.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Yerka bearers went from 105 to 111 (+5.7% change). The surname moved up 6,242 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #148,665.
FAQ
Yerka surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Yerka?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Yerka. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Yerka?
Yerka ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Yerka. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Yerka.
Has Yerka become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Yerka went from 105 recorded bearers to 111. That is an increase of 6 (+5.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Yerka?
Among Census respondents with the surname Yerka, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Yerka in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (111 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Yerka appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Yerka (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 Yerka mean?
A surname of uncertain origin, possibly deriving from a place name or having an occupational meaning. 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 Yerka (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 Americans have the surname Yerka?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.