2000
#8,578
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,535
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.31
Rare Last name
Yong
A Chinese surname meaning "brave" or "courageous," or referring to the region of Yong in ancient China.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,626 Americans carry the last name Yong. That puts it at #9,779 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 94,527 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Yong 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 Yong with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.6K
1 in 94,527
Census rank
#9,779
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,162 bearers of the surname Yong in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9779th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Yong, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 76.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.6%) and White (5.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Yong
The surname Yong has its origins in China, where it is a relatively common family name. It is derived from the Chinese word 'yong', which can mean 'brave', 'valiant', or 'eternal'. The name likely originated in the southern Chinese provinces during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD).
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Yong surname can be found in the Riguanzhi, a historical text from the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279 AD), which mentions a notable figure named Yong Jia. This suggests that the name was already well-established by that time.
In the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD), there were several prominent individuals with the Yong surname. Yong Xingzhi (1572-1624) was a renowned scholar and philosopher, while Yong Wenhuan (1575-1608) was a respected poet and calligrapher.
During the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912), the Yong surname was associated with several influential figures. Yong Zhengxian (1775-1833) was a high-ranking official and scholar, while Yong Xiu (1623-1688) was a celebrated artist and poet.
In more recent history, Yong Pung How (1920-2005) was a prominent Singaporean businessman and philanthropist. He founded the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, one of the leading music schools in Southeast Asia.
Another notable bearer of the Yong surname was Yong Mun Sen (1896-1962), a Malaysian politician and lawyer who played a significant role in the country's independence movement.
Overall, the Yong surname has a rich history in China, with many notable individuals bearing this name throughout the centuries. While its origins can be traced back to ancient times, it continues to be a widespread and respected family name in various parts of the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Yong
Among Census respondents with the surname Yong, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 76.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.6%) and White (5.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Yong 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 Yong surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander76.6% · 2,422
- Hispanic or Latino10.6% · 334
- White5.2% · 166
- Two or more races4.4% · 138
- Black or African American3.1% · 99
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Yong
Yong 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
#10,316
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,123
-412 bearers (-11.7%)
Per 100,000 1.06
Rank movement Down 1,738 places
2020
#9,779
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,162
+39 bearers (+1.2%)
Per 100,000 1.06
Rank movement Up 537 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,578 | 3,535 | 1.31 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,316 | 3,123 | 1.06 | -412 bearers (-11.7%) | Down 1,738 places |
| 2020 | #9,779 | 3,162 | 1.06 | +39 bearers (+1.2%) | Up 537 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 Yong 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 | #10,316 | #9,779 | 5.2% |
| Count | 3,123 | 3,162 | 1.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.06 | 1.06 | -0.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Yong bearers went from 3,123 to 3,162 (+1.2% change). The surname moved up 537 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,316 to #9,779.
FAQ
Yong surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Yong?
Name Census estimates that about 3,626 living Americans carry the surname Yong. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 94,527 residents.
How common is Yong?
Yong ranks #9,779 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.06 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 3,162 people with the surname Yong. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,626), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.06 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 Yong.
Has Yong become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Yong went from 3,123 recorded bearers to 3,162. That is an increase of 39 (+1.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,316 to #9,779.
What does the Census say about the background of Yong?
Among Census respondents with the surname Yong, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 76.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.6%) and White (5.2%). 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 Yong in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.6% (2,422 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Yong appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (76.6%), Hispanic (10.6%), White (5.2%). 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 Yong (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 Yong mean?
A Chinese surname meaning "brave" or "courageous," or referring to the region of Yong in ancient China. 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 Yong (1.06 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 common is the surname Yong?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Yong at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.