Find out how popular the last name Yona is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Yona.

Yona, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Yona surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Yona in America

Yona is the 156044th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Yona surname appeared 104 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Yona.

We can also compare 2010 data for Yona to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Yona

The surname Yona is believed to have originated from the ancient Middle Eastern region, particularly among the Jewish populations around the time of the Babylonian Exile, circa 600 BCE. The name has strong associations with the Hebrew word "Yonah," meaning "dove," a symbol of peace and a common element in Jewish naming traditions. This surname also shares phonetic similarities with the Arabic word "Younas," which further suggests its etymological roots in Semitic languages.

Old historical references to the surname Yona can be found in rabbinical literature from the medieval period. The name appears in several Judaic texts and records, indicating its use among scholarly families. For instance, the famous Jewish liturgical poet Yehuda ben Shmuel Yona (circa 12th century) was known for his extensive contributions to Hebrew poetry and philosophical works.

In the 16th century, the Yona surname was recorded in the Ottoman Empire, particularly within communities in modern-day Turkey and Greece. One prominent individual was Yosef Yona, a rabbinical leader in Thessaloniki, whose legal and religious writings had a significant impact on Sephardic Jewish thought during that period. His works provide a rich source of information about the customs and legal practices of the Jewish diaspora in the Ottoman territories.

Throughout the following centuries, the surname Yona could be traced in various European records. For example, Eliyahu Yona (born 1670), a prominent Jewish merchant and community leader in Amsterdam, played a key role in the economic development of the Jewish quarter in the city. His meticulous records of trade transactions and community affairs have been preserved in Dutch archives, offering valuable insights into the life and times of European Jewry.

The migration of Jewish families from the Middle East and Europe during the 19th century led to the dispersion of the Yona surname to other parts of the world, including North America and Palestine. Notably, during the early Zionist movement, we find records of Avraham Yona (born 1864) who was an early settler in what is now Israel. His diaries and correspondences reveal the hardships and resilience of the first waves of Jewish immigrants working to establish new communities in the Promised Land.

In summary, the surname Yona has a rich historical lineage that spans across centuries and continents. Its origins, deeply rooted in Jewish culture and tradition, have been preserved through numerous individuals who made their mark in religious, scholarly, and economic pursuits.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Yona

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Yona.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Yona was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Yona has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Yona was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Yona, please contact us.

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