2000
#6,292
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,989
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.85
Rare Last name
Youmans
A surname of Norman French origin, derived from the Old French personal name Yeoman, meaning "young man."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,518 Americans carry the last name Youmans. That puts it at #6,738 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 62,116 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Youmans 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
5.5K
1 in 62,116
Census rank
#6,738
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,812 bearers of the surname Youmans in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6738th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Youmans, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.5%. The next largest groups are Black (21.9%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Youmans
The surname Youmans is of English origin, derived from the old French name "Youme" or "Ioume", which was a Norman variation of the Germanic name "Heim". The name Youmans is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Youmans can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Suffolk in 1194, where a certain William Youmans is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already established in England by the late 12th century.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as "Youman", "Yoeman", and "Yoman", which were likely influenced by the Middle English word "yoman", meaning a servant or attendant. This connection to the word "yoman" may have contributed to the evolution of the spelling "Youmans".
The Youmans surname is also associated with several place names in England, such as Youmans Manor in Suffolk and Youmans Field in Warwickshire. These place names may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.
One notable figure bearing the Youmans surname was Sir John Youmans (c. 1460 - 1536), a Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire during the reign of Henry VIII. Another was Edward Lancelot Youmans (1821 - 1887), an American science writer and promoter of scientific education, who played a significant role in popularizing the works of Charles Darwin and other scientists.
Other historical figures with the Youmans surname include:
1. William Youmans (c. 1550 - 1620), an English lawyer and landowner in Gloucestershire.
2. Elizabeth Youmans (1779 - 1862), an American educator and advocate for women's education.
3. Vincent Youmans (1898 - 1946), an American composer and playwright, known for works such as "Tea for Two" and "Carioca".
4. Theodore Youmans (1863 - 1931), an American lawyer and judge in New York.
5. Harold Youmans (1887 - 1968), a Canadian politician and member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.
While the Youmans surname has its roots in medieval England, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and other English-speaking countries, due to migration and historical events.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Youmans
Among Census respondents with the surname Youmans, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.5%. The next largest groups are Black (21.9%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Youmans 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 Youmans surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White70.5% · 3,392
- Black or African American21.9% · 1,055
- Two or more races3.6% · 171
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 159
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Youmans
Youmans 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
#6,647
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,092
+103 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 1.73
Rank movement Down 355 places
2020
#6,738
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,812
-280 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 1.61
Rank movement Down 91 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,292 | 4,989 | 1.85 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,647 | 5,092 | 1.73 | +103 bearers (+2.1%) | Down 355 places |
| 2020 | #6,738 | 4,812 | 1.61 | -280 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 91 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 Youmans 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 | #6,647 | #6,738 | -1.4% |
| Count | 5,092 | 4,812 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.73 | 1.61 | -6.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Youmans bearers went from 5,092 to 4,812 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 91 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,647 to #6,738.
FAQ
Youmans surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Youmans?
Name Census estimates that about 5,518 living Americans carry the surname Youmans. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 62,116 residents.
How common is Youmans?
Youmans ranks #6,738 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.61 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,812 people with the surname Youmans. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,518), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.61 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Youmans.
Has Youmans become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Youmans went from 5,092 recorded bearers to 4,812. That is a decrease of 280 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,647 to #6,738.
What does the Census say about the background of Youmans?
Among Census respondents with the surname Youmans, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.5%. The next largest groups are Black (21.9%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Youmans in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.5% (3,392 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Youmans appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (70.5%), Black (21.9%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Youmans (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 Youmans mean?
A surname of Norman French origin, derived from the Old French personal name Yeoman, meaning "young man." 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 Youmans (1.61 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 share the surname Youmans?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.