2000
#596
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 51,334
First available Census row
Per 100,000 19.03
Uncommon Last name
York
A locational surname referring to the city of York in northern England or any of several similarly-named places.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 58,110 Americans carry the last name York. That puts it at #656 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 16.95 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 5,898 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the York 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 York with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
58K
1 in 5,898
Census rank
#656
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
17.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
51K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 50,675 bearers of the surname York in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 16.95 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 656th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname York, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.8%. The next largest groups are Black (7.8%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of York
The surname York originated in the north of England, specifically in the county of Yorkshire. The name is derived from the Old English word "Eofor-wic," which means "boar town" or "boar settlement." The city of York was originally known as Eoforwic, and the name eventually evolved into its modern form.
York is an ancient city with a rich history dating back to Roman times. It was an important settlement during the Anglo-Saxon period and was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of land and property commissioned by William the Conqueror after the Norman conquest of England.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname York can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1195, where a person named Willelmus de Yeork is mentioned. The name also appears in various other medieval records, such as the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which lists a man named John de York.
The surname York has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the most famous was Edmund of Woodstock, Earl of Kent (1301-1330), who was the younger son of King Edward I. Another notable bearer of the name was Richard York, Duke of York (1411-1460), who played a significant role in the Wars of the Roses and was the father of King Edward IV.
Other notable individuals with the surname York include Sir Joseph York (1713-1795), a British naval officer who served during the Seven Years' War and the American Revolutionary War, and Philip York (1755-1834), an English clergyman and author who wrote several books on religious topics.
The surname York has also been associated with various place names in England, such as York Minster, one of the largest and most magnificent cathedrals in the country, and the University of York, a prestigious institution founded in 1963.
While the surname York has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and immigration. However, its origins can be traced back to the ancient city of York and the Old English word "Eofor-wic."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for York
Among Census respondents with the surname York, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.8%. The next largest groups are Black (7.8%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how York 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 York surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.8% · 41,970
- Black or African American7.8% · 3,976
- Two or more races4.3% · 2,167
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 1,694
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 447
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 421
Timeline
Historical Census data for York
York 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
#642
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 53,059
+1,725 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 17.99
Rank movement Down 46 places
2020
#656
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 50,675
-2,384 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 16.95
Rank movement Down 14 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #596 | 51,334 | 19.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #642 | 53,059 | 17.99 | +1,725 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 46 places |
| 2020 | #656 | 50,675 | 16.95 | -2,384 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 14 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 York 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 | #642 | #656 | -2.2% |
| Count | 53,059 | 50,675 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 17.99 | 16.95 | -5.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of York bearers went from 53,059 to 50,675 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 14 positions in the national ranking, going from #642 to #656.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname York
FAQ
York surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname York?
Name Census estimates that about 58,110 living Americans carry the surname York. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 5,898 residents.
How common is York?
York ranks #656 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 16.95 per 100,000 residents, which is about 17 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 50,675 people with the surname York. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (58,110), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 16.95 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 16.95 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 17 of them to have the surname York.
Has York become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname York went from 53,059 recorded bearers to 50,675. That is a decrease of 2,384 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #642 to #656.
What does the Census say about the background of York?
Among Census respondents with the surname York, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.8%. The next largest groups are Black (7.8%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 York in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.8% (41,970 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
York appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.8%), Black (7.8%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 York (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 York mean?
A locational surname referring to the city of York in northern England or any of several similarly-named places. 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 York (16.95 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 people have the last name York?
You can see how many people have the surname York on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.