2000
#7,208
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,272
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.58
Rare Last name
Yung
A Chinese surname meaning "brave" or "courageous," originally referring to a brave and fierce warrior.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,806 Americans carry the last name Yung. That puts it at #7,613 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.40 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 71,318 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Yung 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Yung with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.8K
1 in 71,318
Census rank
#7,613
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,191 bearers of the surname Yung in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.40 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7613th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Yung, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 73.7%. The next largest groups are White (19.4%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Yung
The surname YUNG is of Chinese origin, specifically from the Cantonese dialect. It is believed to have derived from the Cantonese word "yung" which means "prosperous" or "abundant". The name can be traced back to the late 16th century during the Ming Dynasty in China.
YUNG was initially concentrated in the Guangdong province of southern China, particularly in the areas around Guangzhou and Shenzhen. It was a common surname among merchants and traders who thrived during the economic prosperity of the region in that time period.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the YUNG surname can be found in the Qing Dynasty archives from the 17th century. These records documented various families with the YUNG surname living in the cities of Guangzhou and Foshan.
In the late 19th century, a notable figure named YUNG Tao-ch'en (1824-1902) was a prominent scholar and government official during the Qing Dynasty. He is credited with contributing to the reform movements that aimed to modernize China during that era.
Another historical figure with the YUNG surname was YUNG Wing (1828-1912), who was one of the first Chinese students to attend Yale University in the United States. He later became a highly respected diplomat and advocate for Chinese-American relations.
During the early 20th century, YUNG Kwai (1861-1924) was a revered educator and philosopher who played a significant role in promoting traditional Chinese culture and values. He founded several schools and institutions dedicated to preserving Confucian teachings.
In the realm of literature, YUNG Shu-Fan (1904-1982) was a renowned Chinese writer and poet who gained recognition for her works depicting the struggles and experiences of women in modern Chinese society.
Another notable figure with the YUNG surname was YUNG Ching-Chang (1918-2003), who was a pioneering physicist and academic. He made significant contributions to the fields of nuclear physics and particle physics, and served as the president of several prestigious universities in Taiwan.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Yung
Among Census respondents with the surname Yung, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 73.7%. The next largest groups are White (19.4%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Yung 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 Yung surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander73.7% · 3,090
- White19.4% · 814
- Two or more races3.7% · 157
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 74
- Black or African American1.2% · 50
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Yung
Yung 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
#7,849
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,218
-54 bearers (-1.3%)
Per 100,000 1.43
Rank movement Down 641 places
2020
#7,613
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,191
-27 bearers (-0.6%)
Per 100,000 1.40
Rank movement Up 236 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,208 | 4,272 | 1.58 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,849 | 4,218 | 1.43 | -54 bearers (-1.3%) | Down 641 places |
| 2020 | #7,613 | 4,191 | 1.40 | -27 bearers (-0.6%) | Up 236 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 Yung 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 | #7,849 | #7,613 | 3.0% |
| Count | 4,218 | 4,191 | -0.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.43 | 1.40 | -1.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Yung bearers went from 4,218 to 4,191 (-0.6% change). The surname moved up 236 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,849 to #7,613.
FAQ
Yung surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Yung?
Name Census estimates that about 4,806 living Americans carry the surname Yung. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 71,318 residents.
How common is Yung?
Yung ranks #7,613 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.40 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 4,191 people with the surname Yung. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,806), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.4 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.40 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 Yung.
Has Yung become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Yung went from 4,218 recorded bearers to 4,191. That is a decrease of 27 (-0.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,849 to #7,613.
What does the Census say about the background of Yung?
Among Census respondents with the surname Yung, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 73.7%. The next largest groups are White (19.4%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Yung in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.7% (3,090 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Yung appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (73.7%), White (19.4%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Yung (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 Yung mean?
A Chinese surname meaning "brave" or "courageous," originally referring to a brave and fierce warrior. 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 Yung (1.40 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 common is the surname Yung?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Yung on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.