2000
#123,314
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Yetka
A surname with an unclear origin, possibly derived from a Ukrainian or Russian root.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Yetka. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Yetka 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Yetka in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Yetka, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Yetka
The surname Yetka is believed to have its origins in Eastern Europe, particularly within the regions historically inhabited by Slavic peoples. The name likely originates from areas now within modern Poland, Ukraine, or Belarus. The earliest instances of surnames in these regions date back to the Middle Ages, around the 14th to 15th centuries, when individuals were first recorded with surnames for taxation and administrative purposes.
The surname Yetka appears to derive from an old Slavic word or root. It may be connected to the Polish word "jętka," which translates to “ephemeral fly” or "mayfly," a small insect known for its short-lived adult life. Alternatively, the name might be a diminutive or affectionate form derived from a common personal name during that period, combined with typical Slavic diminutive suffixes like -ka or -ek.
Historical references to the surname Yetka are rare but do exist in various regional documents. It is first recorded in the late 15th century in the Kraków Voivodeship records, when a Jan Yetka is listed as paying taxes in 1492. This indicates that the surname was established enough to be carried by families involved in local commerce or land ownership.
The earliest recorded examples show variations based on orthographic and regional differences. In the 16th century, records from Lviv (Lwów, in present-day Ukraine) mention a Mikolaj Yetko, born 1538 and died 1601, a prosperous merchant whose transactions spread across the region. Another instance appears in the 17th century with a record of a Jadwiga Yetka, noted in the 1615 baptismal registry of a small village near Warsaw.
By the late 18th century, the surname begins to appear in Prussian records following the partitions of Poland. One notable individual, Stanislaw Yetka, born 1765 and died 1828, is recorded as a participant in the Kosciuszko Uprising against foreign domination, suggesting a strong sense of national identity among those bearing the name.
Entering the 19th century, the surname persists in various localities. The industrialization period sees the migration of many families, including those with the surname Yetka, to burgeoning urban centers. A notable figure from this era is Wojciech Yetka, born 1823 and died 1890, who played a significant role in the development of early Polish railways, contributing to the modernization of transport in the partitioned territories.
Another prominent name is Anna Yetka, born 1855 and died 1934, a teacher in a rural Polish village who took part in clandestine educational activities during the time when the Polish language was suppressed under foreign rule.
The surnames' presence in historical records diminishes as families scatter due to geopolitical upheavals, wars, and immigration to countries like the United States and Canada in the early 20th century. Yet, the surname remains a testament to the complex and vibrant history of the Eastern European region and its enduring cultural legacy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Yetka
Among Census respondents with the surname Yetka, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Yetka 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 Yetka surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.9% · 111
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 3
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Yetka
Yetka 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
#135,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
-5 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,279 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-7 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,677 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #123,314 | 129 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #135,593 | 124 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-3.9%) | Down 12,279 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 8,677 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 Yetka 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 | #135,593 | #144,270 | -6.4% |
| Count | 124 | 117 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Yetka bearers went from 124 to 117 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 8,677 positions in the national ranking, going from #135,593 to #144,270.
FAQ
Yetka surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Yetka?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Yetka. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Yetka?
Yetka ranks #144,270 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 117 people with the surname Yetka. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), 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 Yetka.
Has Yetka become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Yetka went from 124 recorded bearers to 117. That is a decrease of 7 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #135,593 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Yetka?
Among Census respondents with the surname Yetka, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Yetka in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.9% (111 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Yetka appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.9%), Hispanic (2.6%), Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Yetka (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 Yetka mean?
A surname with an unclear origin, possibly derived from a Ukrainian or Russian root. 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 Yetka (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 Yetka?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.