2000
#11,371
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,544
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.94
Rare Last name
Yoakum
Derived from a place name meaning "oak home" in Old English, likely referring to a person's residence.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,666 Americans carry the last name Yoakum. That puts it at #12,680 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 128,565 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Yoakum 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
2.7K
1 in 128,565
Census rank
#12,680
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,325 bearers of the surname Yoakum in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12680th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Yoakum, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.9%) and Black (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Yoakum
The surname Yoakum has its origins in Germany, where it emerged during the Middle Ages. It is believed to be derived from the German word "Jochem," which means "yeoman" or "farmer." This name likely originated as a descriptive term for someone who worked the land or lived in a rural area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Yoakum can be found in the town of Wiesbaden, located in the German state of Hesse. In a document dated 1387, a certain Jochem von Wiesbaden is mentioned, indicating the presence of this surname in the region during the 14th century.
As the name spread throughout Germany and neighboring areas, various spelling variations emerged, such as Jochem, Jocham, and Joechem. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and the preferences of local scribes.
In the late 16th century, the surname Yoakum began to appear in historical records in the Netherlands. One notable individual bearing this name was Willem Yoakum, a merchant from Amsterdam who was born in 1562 and died in 1632.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Yoakum surname made its way to other parts of Europe and eventually to the American colonies. One of the earliest known instances of the name in North America can be traced back to Johann Yoakum, a German immigrant who settled in Pennsylvania in the early 1700s.
Throughout the centuries, several individuals with the surname Yoakum have achieved notable accomplishments. For example, Henderson King Yoakum (1810-1856) was a prominent lawyer and politician from Texas, serving as a member of the Texas House of Representatives and as a district judge.
Another notable figure was Hubert Yoakum (1868-1947), an American businessman and railroad executive who played a significant role in the development of the Frisco and Rock Island railroad systems.
In the field of literature, Henderson Yoakum (1810-1856) stands out as the author of "History of Texas from Its First Settlement in 1685 to Its Annexation to the United States in 1846," which remains an important historical reference work on the state of Texas.
While the surname Yoakum may not be as widespread as some others, it has left its mark on various aspects of history, from business and politics to literature and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Yoakum
Among Census respondents with the surname Yoakum, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.9%) and Black (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Yoakum 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 Yoakum surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.7% · 1,945
- Two or more races5.9% · 137
- Black or African American4.8% · 112
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 96
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Yoakum
Yoakum 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
#12,856
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,395
-149 bearers (-5.9%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Down 1,485 places
2020
#12,680
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,325
-70 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Up 176 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,371 | 2,544 | 0.94 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,856 | 2,395 | 0.81 | -149 bearers (-5.9%) | Down 1,485 places |
| 2020 | #12,680 | 2,325 | 0.78 | -70 bearers (-2.9%) | Up 176 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 Yoakum 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 | #12,856 | #12,680 | 1.4% |
| Count | 2,395 | 2,325 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.81 | 0.78 | -4.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Yoakum bearers went from 2,395 to 2,325 (-2.9% change). The surname moved up 176 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,856 to #12,680.
FAQ
Yoakum surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Yoakum?
Name Census estimates that about 2,666 living Americans carry the surname Yoakum. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 128,565 residents.
How common is Yoakum?
Yoakum ranks #12,680 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.78 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,325 people with the surname Yoakum. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,666), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.78 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.78 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Yoakum.
Has Yoakum become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Yoakum went from 2,395 recorded bearers to 2,325. That is a decrease of 70 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,856 to #12,680.
What does the Census say about the background of Yoakum?
Among Census respondents with the surname Yoakum, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.9%) and Black (4.8%). 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 Yoakum in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.7% (1,945 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Yoakum appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.7%), Two or More Races (5.9%), Black (4.8%). 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 Yoakum (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 Yoakum mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "oak home" in Old English, likely referring to a person's residence. 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 Yoakum (0.78 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 Yoakum?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.