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

Youn, 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 Youn surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Youn in America

Youn is the 15727th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Youn surname appeared 1,854 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Youn.

We can also compare 2010 data for Youn 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 Youn

The surname Youn is of Korean origin and is an anglicized form of the surname Yun. This surname is deeply rooted in the Korean Peninsula, which has a rich history dating back several millennia. It is derived from the ancient royal and aristocratic families of Korea who have historically used various hanja characters to represent the name Yun.

In the Korean script, Hangul, Youn is written as 윤, and it can be associated with multiple hanja characters that mean either "allow" (允) or "governor" (尹). The use of these characters dates back to the Three Kingdoms of Korea period (57 BC to AD 668), indicating that families with this surname have been prominent in Korean society for centuries.

One of the historical references to the surname can be found in the Samguk Sagi, an ancient Korean chronicle written in 1145, which mentions individuals with the surname Yun holding positions of power in the Silla kingdom. The "Yun" clan from Haepyeong became particularly prominent during the Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392) and the subsequent Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910).

The earliest recorded instance of someone with the surname Yun in historical documents appears in the Silla Kingdom. Yun Isang, a contemporary composer and one of the most famous people with the surname, was born in 1917 and died in 1995. His work bridged East and West, and his legacy in classical music is remembered in both Korea and Europe.

Another notable historical figure is Yun Chi-ho, born in 1865 and died in 1945. He was an important independence activist during the Japanese occupation of Korea and later became a prominent political figure. Yun Bong-gil, who lived from 1908 to 1932, was a Korean independence activist known for his daring resistance against Japanese colonial rule. His legacy is still celebrated in Korea today.

Yun Po-sun, born in 1897 and passed away in 1990, served as the President of South Korea from 1960 to 1962. He was a pivotal figure during a crucial period in Korea's modern history, helping to shape the nation's democratic transition.

The surname Youn has various older forms due to transliteration differences and historical changes in the Korean language. The use of Yun in place names is common in Korea, such as in Yunae and Yunju-dong, reflecting the deep historical roots and geographic spread of the surname.

Through centuries of Korean history, the surname Youn has been borne by many notable figures, reflecting its longstanding significance and the rich cultural heritage of the Korean people.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Youn

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

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 Youn 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 Youn 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 Youn was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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