2000
#119,644
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 134
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Youngling
A surname originating from the Middle English word "yongling" meaning "a young person or youth".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Youngling. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Youngling 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Youngling in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Youngling, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Youngling
The surname Youngling has European origins, most commonly associated with Northern England and Scotland. The name is believed to have derived from the Old English word "geong," meaning "young," combined with the diminutive suffix "ling," which implies "little" or "descendant." As such, Youngling essentially means "little young one" or "descendant of the young one." It was likely originally used to denote a younger member of a family or a young person of note within a community.
The earliest mentions of surnames akin to Youngling can be traced back to medieval England, where documentation of surnames began to flourish following the Norman Conquest. There are references to similar spellings in various medieval documents, including the Domesday Book of 1086, although Youngling itself is not directly cited within it. Variants and similar forms like Yonghlyng and Yungling appear in parish registers and legal documents from the 13th and 14th centuries.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname was John Youngling, a farmer documented in Yorkshire in 1348. The name appears again in 1379, when a Thomas Yongeling is listed in poll tax records from Yorkshire, indicating the name's presence in northern England. During the 16th century, the name appears periodically across various regions in England and Scotland, as populations began to stabilize and families established themselves in local communities.
William Youngling, born in 1502, was a notable resident of Lancashire and is mentioned in several municipal records of the time. He was a yeoman and owned considerable land, showcasing the family's gradual rise in social status. Another early figure is Agnes Youngling, born in 1567, who is recorded in marriage registers from Northumberland, reflecting the name's dispersion to neighboring counties.
In the 17th century, the name migrated with settlers to the New World. Robert Youngling, born in 1625, was one of the early colonists who arrived in Virginia during the 1650s. His descendants can be traced through several generations in colonial America, contributing to the spread of the surname across the Atlantic.
By the 18th and 19th centuries, the surname became more commonly documented in public records. Notable personalities include James Youngling, born in 1762, a Scottish cartographer and surveyor who contributed to the mapping of the Scottish Highlands. Another is Elizabeth Youngling, born in 1823, an Englishwoman who became known for her involvement in the early women's suffrage movement in London.
Overall, the surname Youngling has a rich historical presence, rooted in Old English and extending through centuries of regional and international migration.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Youngling
Among Census respondents with the surname Youngling, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Youngling 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 Youngling surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.9% · 105
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Youngling
Youngling 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
#127,494
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 134
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 7,850 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-21 bearers (-15.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 19,727 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #119,644 | 134 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #127,494 | 134 | 0.05 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 7,850 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | -21 bearers (-15.7%) | Down 19,727 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 Youngling 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 | #127,494 | #147,221 | -15.5% |
| Count | 134 | 113 | -15.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -24.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Youngling bearers went from 134 to 113 (-15.7% change). The surname moved down 19,727 positions in the national ranking, going from #127,494 to #147,221.
FAQ
Youngling surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Youngling?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Youngling. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Youngling?
Youngling ranks #147,221 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 113 people with the surname Youngling. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Youngling.
Has Youngling become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Youngling went from 134 recorded bearers to 113. That is a decrease of 21 (-15.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #127,494 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Youngling?
Among Census respondents with the surname Youngling, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%). 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 Youngling in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.9% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Youngling appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.9%), Hispanic (4.4%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%). 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 Youngling (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 Youngling mean?
A surname originating from the Middle English word "yongling" meaning "a young person or youth". 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 Youngling (0.04 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 Youngling?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.