2010
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Yerty
A surname potentially derived from a variant spelling of the Irish surname "Aherty" or "Herity".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Yerty. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Yerty 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Yerty in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Yerty, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Black (4.6%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Yerty
The surname Yerty is believed to have its origins in the Germanic regions of Europe, likely dating back to the Middle Ages, around the 12th or 13th century. It is thought to have originated in what is now modern-day Germany, particularly in the regions of Bavaria or Saxony. The name Yerty could potentially derive from older German words or names, though specific etymological links are somewhat obscure. Similar spellings such as "Jerte" or "Yerth" have been noted in older texts, suggesting a possible phonetic evolution over time.
Historical references to the surname Yerty appear sporadically in medieval documents and registers. One of the earliest mentions comes from a 14th-century Bavarian land record where a "Hans Yerte" is listed as a small landholder in the year 1376. Another notable early reference is found in a church manuscript from Saxony dated 1423, which mentions a "Johannes Yerty" as a witness to a significant local event.
In terms of recorded examples, the Yerty name appears in various forms in parish records and tax rolls. A notable individual was “Georg Yerty,” a merchant who was documented in the city of Nuremberg around 1485. Additionally, another early bearer of the name, “Anselm Yertie,” was known to be a craftsman in Leipzig in 1529, highlighting the presence of the surname in skilled trades.
Examining place names, the name Yerty does not directly correlate to any known place names; however, older spellings like "Yerth" might suggest geographical or topographical features that were common in those regions, possibly relating to land or agricultural terms lost to time.
Famous bearers of the surname include “Martin Yertie,” who was noted as a prominent magistrate in Frankfurt between 1601-1625. Another significant figure, “Elisabeth Yerty,” born in 1742, was a renowned midwife in Bavaria whose written works on maternal care were well-regarded during her lifetime. “Friedrich Yerty,” born in 1810, was a noted academic in Heidelberg renowned for his contributions to early geology.
Throughout history, the surname Yerty has retained a relatively low profile, predominantly appearing in Central European records from the medieval and early modern periods. Despite its rarity, individuals with this surname have made contributions in various fields, reflecting a sense of enduring legacy within certain regions of Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Yerty
Among Census respondents with the surname Yerty, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Black (4.6%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Yerty 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 Yerty surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.1% · 96
- Black or African American4.6% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 4
- Two or more races2.8% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Yerty
Yerty appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
+4 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,702 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.8%) | Up 4,702 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 Yerty 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 | #150,205 | 3.0% |
| Count | 105 | 109 | 3.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Yerty bearers went from 105 to 109 (+3.8% change). The surname moved up 4,702 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #150,205.
FAQ
Yerty surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Yerty?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Yerty. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Yerty?
Yerty ranks #150,205 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 109 people with the surname Yerty. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), 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 Yerty.
Has Yerty become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Yerty went from 105 recorded bearers to 109. That is an increase of 4 (+3.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Yerty?
Among Census respondents with the surname Yerty, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Black (4.6%) and Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Yerty in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.1% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Yerty appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.1%), Black (4.6%), Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Yerty (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 Yerty mean?
A surname potentially derived from a variant spelling of the Irish surname "Aherty" or "Herity". 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 Yerty (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 have the last name Yerty?
Want to know how common the surname Yerty is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.