2000
#124,109
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Yolles
A surname derived from the French word "yole," likely referring to a small boat or ship's tender.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Yolles. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Yolles 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Yolles in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Yolles, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Yolles
The surname Yolles is believed to have origins dating back to Jewish communities in Eastern Europe, specifically in Poland and Russia. The earliest recorded mentions of this name can be traced back to the late 17th and early 18th centuries. It is a surname that potentially derived from a nickname, pet name, or derivative of a given name. Some researchers suggest a connection to the Yiddish or Hebrew name Yehuda or Yoel, reflecting the variations in transliteration commonly seen among Jewish surnames during that time period.
One of the oldest references to the surname is found in Polish tax records from the 1700s, where it appears as a variation of Yolles or Joles. This suggests that families with this surname were settled in Poland and were recorded for taxation purposes, indicating their presence and establishment in the region.
In the 19th century, migration surged due to the changing political climates and social upheavals. Records from ship manifests and immigration documents show individuals with the surname Yolles arriving in the United States, Canada, and other parts of Europe. One notable individual, Chaim Yolles, born in 1857 in Poland, emigrated to America where he and his descendants became part of the prosperous Jewish communities.
During the early 20th century, the surname appeared in various professional and communal records. Dr. David Yolles, born in 1888 in Poland and later became a prominent New York-based physician and author, contributing significantly to medical literature. His work and legacy reflect the transition and influence of the Yolles family into the Western academic and professional realms.
Further historical notables include Sophie Yolles, a social activist and philanthropist in early 20th-century Canada who worked extensively within Jewish communities in Toronto. Her efforts during the 1920s and 30s earned her recognition and respect within philanthropic circles, showcasing the surname's involvement in social reform and community building.
In Europe, during World War II, Michał Yolles, an artist born in 1915 in Poland, played a crucial role in documenting the war through his art. His work, some of which is preserved in museums, provides a poignant pictorial history of the time and highlights how the Yolles family name continued to be associated with cultural significance and historical documentation.
The surname Yolles has thus woven itself into various facets of history, global migration, and cultural contribution. Whether through academia, art, or philanthropy, individuals bearing this surname have impacted their societies well beyond their initial country of origin. Their stories and recorded histories serve as a testament to the diverse paths and legacies that surnames can encapsulate over centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Yolles
Among Census respondents with the surname Yolles, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Yolles 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 Yolles surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.7% · 104
- Hispanic or Latino6.9% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.6% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Yolles
Yolles 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
#136,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
-5 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,340 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-7 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,579 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,109 | 128 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #136,449 | 123 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-3.9%) | Down 12,340 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 8,579 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 Yolles 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 | #136,449 | #145,028 | -6.3% |
| Count | 123 | 116 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Yolles bearers went from 123 to 116 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 8,579 positions in the national ranking, going from #136,449 to #145,028.
FAQ
Yolles surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Yolles?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Yolles. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Yolles?
Yolles ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Yolles. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Yolles.
Has Yolles become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Yolles went from 123 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 7 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #136,449 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Yolles?
Among Census respondents with the surname Yolles, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%). 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 Yolles in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Yolles appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.7%), Hispanic (6.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%). 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 Yolles (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 Yolles mean?
A surname derived from the French word "yole," likely referring to a small boat or ship's tender. 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 Yolles (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 Yolles?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.