2000
#13,802
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,011
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.75
Rare Last name
Yockey
From an Old English surname meaning an oak forest or oak clearing.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,140 Americans carry the last name Yockey. That puts it at #15,162 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 160,166 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Yockey 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
2.1K
1 in 160,166
Census rank
#15,162
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,866 bearers of the surname Yockey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15162nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Yockey, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Yockey
The surname Yockey has its origin in Germany, and its roots can be traced back to the medieval period. The name likely evolved in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony, areas known for their rich linguistic heritage. Yockey is thought to be derived from the Middle High German word “joch,” meaning yoke, which was an essential piece of farming equipment used in plowing fields. This suggests that the name may have originally been an occupational surname for someone who made or used yokes.
The earliest recorded instances of surnames similar to Yockey appear in various medieval manuscripts and tax records. An example includes the appearance of the name Joachim, a derivative of the same root, in the Codex Manesse of the 14th century. Surnames were often fluid during these times, leading to various spellings and adaptations depending on regional dialects and local customs.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the spelling Yockey can be traced back to Johann Yockey, born in 1575 in Saxony. This record suggests that the name had already undergone significant transformation from its original forms by the Late Renaissance period. Johann Yockey was noted in local tax records as a landowner, indicating the transition of surnames from occupational usage to family lineage identifiers.
During the 18th century, George Yockey, born in 1732, was notable for establishing a successful milling business in Bavaria. His contributions to local industry were significant enough that his name appears in regional business registries and guild documents of the era. The Yockey surname thus gained recognition not only for its agricultural origins but also for its association with commerce and trade.
In the early 19th century, Heinrich Yockey, born in 1811, emigrated to the United States and settled in Pennsylvania. As a pioneer, Heinrich contributed to the burgeoning communities by bringing German agricultural techniques to the American frontier. His name appears in various immigration records and land deeds, underscoring the spread of the Yockey surname beyond its Germanic roots.
Perhaps one of the more famous bearers of the Yockey surname was Francis Parker Yockey, born in 1917, in Chicago, Illinois. He was a political philosopher and author who wrote the influential book "Imperium: The Philosophy of History and Politics" in 1948. Francis Parker Yockey's work garnered attention for its controversial viewpoints and has been the subject of extensive study within historical and political science circles.
The evolution of the Yockey surname reflects not only the linguistic shifts within German-speaking regions but also the migration patterns and occupational changes over centuries. The name's journey from medieval Bavaria to modern-day prominence showcases the dynamic nature of surnames and their ability to carry historical narratives across generations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Yockey
Among Census respondents with the surname Yockey, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Yockey 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 Yockey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.1% · 1,738
- Two or more races2.8% · 52
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 45
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 12
- Black or African American0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Yockey
Yockey 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
#15,262
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,925
-86 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Down 1,460 places
2020
#15,162
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,866
-59 bearers (-3.1%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Up 100 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,802 | 2,011 | 0.75 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,262 | 1,925 | 0.65 | -86 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 1,460 places |
| 2020 | #15,162 | 1,866 | 0.62 | -59 bearers (-3.1%) | Up 100 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 Yockey 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 | #15,262 | #15,162 | 0.7% |
| Count | 1,925 | 1,866 | -3.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.65 | 0.62 | -4.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Yockey bearers went from 1,925 to 1,866 (-3.1% change). The surname moved up 100 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,262 to #15,162.
FAQ
Yockey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Yockey?
Name Census estimates that about 2,140 living Americans carry the surname Yockey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 160,166 residents.
How common is Yockey?
Yockey ranks #15,162 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.62 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 1,866 people with the surname Yockey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,140), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.62 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 Yockey.
Has Yockey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Yockey went from 1,925 recorded bearers to 1,866. That is a decrease of 59 (-3.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,262 to #15,162.
What does the Census say about the background of Yockey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Yockey, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Yockey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (1,738 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Yockey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.1%), Two or More Races (2.8%), Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Yockey (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 Yockey mean?
From an Old English surname meaning an oak forest or oak clearing. 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 Yockey (0.62 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 Yockey?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.