2000
#7,245
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,246
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.57
Uncommon Last name
Yin
A Chinese surname referring to the shady or hidden side of a hill or mountain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,167 Americans carry the last name Yin. That puts it at #3,572 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.26 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 30,694 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Yin 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Yin with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 30,694
Census rank
#3,572
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.7K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,738 bearers of the surname Yin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.26 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3572nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Yin, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.6%. The next largest groups are White (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Yin
The surname "Yin" has its origins in China, where it can be traced back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD). It is believed to have been derived from the Chinese word "yin," which means "shady" or "cloudy." This name was likely given to someone who lived in a shaded or wooded area, or perhaps had a more subdued or reserved personality.
During the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD), the name "Yin" was recorded in various historical documents and records, indicating its presence in various regions of China. One notable example is the "Yin Family Genealogy," a collection of records detailing the lineage and history of the Yin clan.
The earliest recorded instance of the name "Yin" can be found in the "Book of Surnames" (Baijiaxing), a comprehensive work on Chinese surnames compiled during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912 AD). This book lists the Yin surname as originating from the ancient state of Lu, which was located in present-day Shandong Province.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the surname "Yin." One of the earliest was Yin Zhi (1021-1088 AD), a renowned scholar and calligrapher during the Song Dynasty. Another prominent individual was Yin Yuzhang (1592-1673 AD), a prominent Confucian scholar and official during the Ming Dynasty.
In more recent times, Yin Haiguang (1900-1949 AD) was a Chinese revolutionary and military leader who played a significant role in the Chinese Civil War. Yin Tao (1891-1969 AD) was a Chinese educator and philosopher who made significant contributions to the field of education in China.
Additionally, the name "Yin" has been associated with various place names throughout China, such as Yinxian County in Shandong Province and Yinchuan, the capital of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. These place names may have influenced the distribution and prevalence of the Yin surname in certain regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Yin
Among Census respondents with the surname Yin, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.6%. The next largest groups are White (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Yin 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 Yin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander93.6% · 9,114
- White2.5% · 246
- Two or more races2.0% · 192
- Hispanic or Latino1.4% · 135
- Black or African American0.5% · 49
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Yin
Yin 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
#5,324
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,548
+2,302 bearers (+54.2%)
Per 100,000 2.22
Rank movement Up 1,921 places
2020
#3,572
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,738
+3,190 bearers (+48.7%)
Per 100,000 3.26
Rank movement Up 1,752 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,245 | 4,246 | 1.57 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,324 | 6,548 | 2.22 | +2,302 bearers (+54.2%) | Up 1,921 places |
| 2020 | #3,572 | 9,738 | 3.26 | +3,190 bearers (+48.7%) | Up 1,752 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 Yin 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 | #5,324 | #3,572 | 32.9% |
| Count | 6,548 | 9,738 | 48.7% |
| Per 100K | 2.22 | 3.26 | 46.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Yin bearers went from 6,548 to 9,738 (+48.7% change). The surname moved up 1,752 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,324 to #3,572.
FAQ
Yin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Yin?
Name Census estimates that about 11,167 living Americans carry the surname Yin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 30,694 residents.
How common is Yin?
Yin ranks #3,572 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.26 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,738 people with the surname Yin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,167), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.26 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.26 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Yin.
Has Yin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Yin went from 6,548 recorded bearers to 9,738. That is an increase of 3,190 (+48.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,324 to #3,572.
What does the Census say about the background of Yin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Yin, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.6%. The next largest groups are White (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Yin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (9,114 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Yin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (93.6%), White (2.5%), Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Yin (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 Yin mean?
A Chinese surname referring to the shady or hidden side of a hill or mountain. 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 Yin (3.26 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 surname Yin?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.