2000
#123,314
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Yike
Derived from a Middle English word meaning "shrill cry" or "yelp".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Yike. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Yike 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Yike in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Yike, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.3%) and Black (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Yike
The surname Yike appears to have its origins in northern Europe, possibly from the Germanic or Scandinavian regions, around the late medieval period. Its etymological roots are somewhat obscure, but the name is believed to have been derived from various linguistic transformations of older names or words. One possibility is that it originates from variations of the Old Norse word "Ieke," which might suggest a profession or characteristic.
Areas such as modern-day Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands could be the birthplaces of the surname Yike. Early records from these regions show slight variations in spelling, such as "Jike" or "Yeke," common in medieval manuscripts. The surname appears in parish registers and local records dating back to the 14th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name was found in a Danish census from 1387, where a Henrik Yeke is mentioned as a farmer in the Jutland Peninsula. This record suggests that the surname was in use in everyday life and tied to agrarian society. Another early reference appears in a German court document from 1424, involving a Johan Yike accused of property disputes.
In England, the surname Yike makes an appearance in the late 15th century through the records of the York Minster, where a Thomas Yike was listed as a stone mason working on the cathedral’s construction. This suggests that the name had migrated through trade routes or via the Norman influence on British isles nomenclature.
During the 16th century, Margaret Yike, born in 1547 in Hamburg, Germany, became a known figure due to her work in herbal medicine, often recorded in local historical texts for her remedies and cures. The continuous presence of the surname in various regions points to its spread through migration and trade.
In the 18th century, the name appears in American colonial records, most notably with Johann Yike, born in 1754, who immigrated from Germany to Pennsylvania in 1772. He became a notable settler and contributed to establishing one of the early German-American communities.
The surname also appears in literature and scholarly works. For instance, in a 19th-century publication of Scandinavian folklore by Lars Yike, born in 1820 in Sweden, who extensively cataloged traditional tales and stories from the region. His works remained a significant contribution to the study of Scandinavian myths.
This historical context of the Yike surname, from its Northern European origins, its early references in medieval documents, to its bearers spreading across continents, highlights the rich and varied history of this name. With documented occurrences spanning centuries, the surname Yike has undoubtedly left its mark on history through its bearers' various contributions to society.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Yike
Among Census respondents with the surname Yike, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.3%) and Black (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Yike 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 Yike surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.8% · 105
- Hispanic or Latino8.3% · 10
- Black or African American2.5% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.5% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Yike
Yike 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
#133,863
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
-3 bearers (-2.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,549 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-5 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,446 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 | #133,863 | 126 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.3%) | Down 10,549 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 7,446 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 Yike 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 | #133,863 | #141,309 | -5.6% |
| Count | 126 | 121 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Yike bearers went from 126 to 121 (-4.0% change). The surname moved down 7,446 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,863 to #141,309.
FAQ
Yike surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Yike?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Yike. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Yike?
Yike ranks #141,309 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 121 people with the surname Yike. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), 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 Yike.
Has Yike become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Yike went from 126 recorded bearers to 121. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,863 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Yike?
Among Census respondents with the surname Yike, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.3%) and Black (2.5%). 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 Yike in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.8% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Yike appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.8%), Hispanic (8.3%), Black (2.5%). 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 Yike (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 Yike mean?
Derived from a Middle English word meaning "shrill cry" or "yelp". 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 Yike (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 Yike?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.