2000
#13,326
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,098
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.78
Rare Last name
Younce
Derived from the Middle English personal name Yunise, a vernacular form of the Latin Dionysius, referring to Dionysus.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,296 Americans carry the last name Younce. That puts it at #14,377 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 149,283 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Younce 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
2.3K
1 in 149,283
Census rank
#14,377
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,002 bearers of the surname Younce in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14377th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Younce, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Younce
The surname Younce has its origins in the French region of Burgundy, where it first appeared in records dating back to the late 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word "juvence," which means "youth" or "young age." This suggests that the name was initially a nickname or descriptive name given to someone who appeared youthful or was the youngest in a family or community.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Younce can be found in the Cartulary of Bèze Abbey in Burgundy, where a certain "Guillermus Juvencis" is mentioned in 1198. This Latin form of the name translates to "William the Young," further reinforcing the connection to youthfulness.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name spread across various regions of France, with variations in spelling such as "Jouvence," "Jouvance," and "Jouvanceau" appearing in different local records and manuscripts. These variations reflect the fluid nature of surnames during that era, as they often evolved through oral tradition and regional dialects.
In the 14th century, a notable bearer of the name was Pierre de Jouvence, a French monk and alchemist born around 1310. He is remembered for his pursuit of the mythical "elixir of life," which was believed to prolong youth and vitality. This association with the quest for eternal youth further strengthens the connection between the name Younce and the concept of youthfulness.
Another notable figure was Jean de Jouvence, a French theologian and philosopher who lived in the late 15th century. He was known for his work on the concept of natural law and its relationship to divine law, making significant contributions to the field of moral philosophy during the Renaissance period.
As the name spread beyond France, it underwent further alterations in spelling and pronunciation. In England, for instance, it appeared as "Younce" or "Yonce" as early as the 16th century. One example is William Younce, a merchant and landowner from Suffolk, who was born in 1542 and died in 1612.
In the 17th century, the name Younce can be found in various records from the American colonies, particularly in Virginia and Maryland. One notable bearer was John Younce, a settler who arrived in Virginia in 1635 and later served as a member of the House of Burgesses, the colonial legislature of Virginia.
As the centuries passed, the surname Younce continued to be carried by individuals across different regions and professions. Notable bearers include William Younce, an American soldier who fought in the Revolutionary War, and John Younce, a 19th-century farmer and landowner from Tennessee.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Younce
Among Census respondents with the surname Younce, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Younce 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 Younce surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.6% · 1,833
- Two or more races4.3% · 86
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 53
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 12
- Black or African American0.5% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Younce
Younce 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
#13,674
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,214
+116 bearers (+5.5%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Down 348 places
2020
#14,377
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,002
-212 bearers (-9.6%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Down 703 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,326 | 2,098 | 0.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,674 | 2,214 | 0.75 | +116 bearers (+5.5%) | Down 348 places |
| 2020 | #14,377 | 2,002 | 0.67 | -212 bearers (-9.6%) | Down 703 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 Younce 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 | #13,674 | #14,377 | -5.1% |
| Count | 2,214 | 2,002 | -9.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.75 | 0.67 | -10.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Younce bearers went from 2,214 to 2,002 (-9.6% change). The surname moved down 703 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,674 to #14,377.
FAQ
Younce surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Younce?
Name Census estimates that about 2,296 living Americans carry the surname Younce. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 149,283 residents.
How common is Younce?
Younce ranks #14,377 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.67 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 2,002 people with the surname Younce. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,296), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.67 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 Younce.
Has Younce become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Younce went from 2,214 recorded bearers to 2,002. That is a decrease of 212 (-9.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,674 to #14,377.
What does the Census say about the background of Younce?
Among Census respondents with the surname Younce, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Younce in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (1,833 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Younce appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.6%), Two or More Races (4.3%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Younce (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 Younce mean?
Derived from the Middle English personal name Yunise, a vernacular form of the Latin Dionysius, referring to Dionysus. 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 Younce (0.67 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 are called Younce?
See how many people are called Younce on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.