2000
#19,208
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,307
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.48
Rare Last name
Youn
A surname of Korean origin meaning "high status" or "wealthy person".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,444 Americans carry the last name Youn. That puts it at #13,614 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 140,243 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Youn 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
2.4K
1 in 140,243
Census rank
#13,614
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,131 bearers of the surname Youn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13614th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Youn, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 83.8%. The next largest groups are White (7.8%) and Black (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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One of the historical references to the surname can be found in the Samguk Sagi, an ancient Korean chronicle written in 1145, which mentions individuals with the surname Yun holding positions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The earliest recorded instance of someone with the surname Yun in historical documents appears in the Silla Kingdom.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Youn
Among Census respondents with the surname Youn, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 83.8%. The next largest groups are White (7.8%) and Black (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Youn 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 Youn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander83.8% · 1,785
- White7.8% · 166
- Black or African American4.0% · 85
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 49
- Two or more races2.1% · 44
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Youn
Youn 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
#15,727
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,854
+547 bearers (+41.9%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Up 3,481 places
2020
#13,614
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,131
+277 bearers (+14.9%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Up 2,113 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #19,208 | 1,307 | 0.48 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,727 | 1,854 | 0.63 | +547 bearers (+41.9%) | Up 3,481 places |
| 2020 | #13,614 | 2,131 | 0.71 | +277 bearers (+14.9%) | Up 2,113 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 Youn 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 | #15,727 | #13,614 | 13.4% |
| Count | 1,854 | 2,131 | 14.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.63 | 0.71 | 13.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Youn bearers went from 1,854 to 2,131 (+14.9% change). The surname moved up 2,113 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,727 to #13,614.
FAQ
Youn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Youn?
Name Census estimates that about 2,444 living Americans carry the surname Youn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 140,243 residents.
How common is Youn?
Youn ranks #13,614 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.71 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 2,131 people with the surname Youn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,444), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.71 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 Youn.
Has Youn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Youn went from 1,854 recorded bearers to 2,131. That is an increase of 277 (+14.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,727 to #13,614.
What does the Census say about the background of Youn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Youn, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 83.8%. The next largest groups are White (7.8%) and Black (4.0%). 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 Youn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.8% (1,785 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Youn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (83.8%), White (7.8%), Black (4.0%). 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 Youn (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 Youn mean?
A surname of Korean origin meaning "high status" or "wealthy person". 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 Youn (0.71 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 Youn?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Youn is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.