Yong
An East Asian masculine name of Chinese origin meaning "brave" or "everlasting".
Name Census estimates that about 361 living Americans carry the first name Yong. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 70.8% of registrations being male. The average person named Yong today is around 48 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Yong births was 1946 (17 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Yong. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Yong with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Yong was once a predominantly female name but has become increasingly popular for boys in recent decades.
People living today
361
~ 1 in 949,458 Americans
Peak year
1946
17 babies that year
Average age
48
years old
2006 SSA rank
#12,017
Tracked since 1936
Census
Yong in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 15,443 people with the first name Yong, which placed it at #1,862 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#1,862
National first-name rank
People counted
15K
15,443 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
5.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
98.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Yong
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Yong is Asian/Pacific Islander at 98.1%. The next largest groups are White (0.8%) and Two or More Races (0.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Yong 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 name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Yong at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander98.1% · 15,148
- White0.8% · 117
- Two or more races0.7% · 115
- Hispanic or Latino0.2% · 38
- Black or African American0.2% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Gender
Gender distribution for Yong
Yong is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 425 total registrations, 301 (70.8%) were male and 124 (29.2%) were female.
Yong as a male name
- Ranked #12,017 in 2006
- 6 male births in 2006
- Peak: 1993 (13 births)
Yong as a female name
- Ranked #12,052 in 1983
- 5 female births in 1983
- Peak: 1954 (13 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Yong on both sides of the split. Of the 15,448 people counted with this name, 8,821 were male (57.1%) and 6,627 were female (42.9%).
Popularity
Yong: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Yong from the 1930s through to the 2000s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 97 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1980s peak, Yong remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Yong by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Yong during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Yongs live
Origin
Meaning and history of Yong
The name Yong has its origins in the Chinese language and can be traced back to ancient times. It is believed to have derived from the Chinese word 'yong,' which means 'brave' or 'courageous.' This name was particularly prevalent in regions of China where valor and strength were highly valued qualities.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Yong can be found in the ancient Chinese text, the Shiji, also known as the Records of the Grand Historian. This historical record, written by Sima Qian around 109 BC, mentions a notable figure named Yong Jing, a military commander during the Qin Dynasty.
Throughout Chinese history, several notable individuals bore the name Yong. One such figure was Yong Zheng, the fourth emperor of the Qing Dynasty, who ruled from 1722 to 1735. He was known for his efforts in strengthening the empire's administration and promoting cultural and economic development.
Another prominent individual was Yong Shu, a renowned Chinese painter and calligrapher who lived during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD). His works are celebrated for their delicate brushstrokes and traditional Chinese aesthetics.
In Korean culture, the name Yong is also found, though it is often romanized as 'Young.' One notable bearer of this name was Young Sang, a revered Buddhist monk and scholar who lived during the Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392 AD). He was instrumental in spreading Buddhist teachings throughout the Korean peninsula.
Beyond East Asia, the name Yong has also been found in other cultures, though its origins and meanings may differ. For instance, in certain West African communities, the name Yong is believed to be derived from the Yoruba language and is associated with concepts of strength and resilience.
Throughout history, the name Yong has been borne by various individuals from different cultures and eras, each leaving their mark on their respective societies. From military commanders and emperors to artists and scholars, the name Yong has been carried by individuals who have demonstrated courage, leadership, and a commitment to their respective fields.
People
Yong + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Yong as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with Y
Other first names starting with Y with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Yong: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Yong?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 361 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Yong going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 949,458 US residents.
Is Yong a common name?
We classify Yong as "Very Rare". It ranks above 81.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 425 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Yong most popular?
The single biggest year for Yong was 1946, when 17 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Yong is about 48 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Yong in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 15,443 people with the name Yong, or 5.11 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #1,862 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Yong in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Yong?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Yong on both sides of the split. Of the 15,448 people counted with this name, 8,821 were male (57.1%) and 6,627 were female (42.9%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Yong?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Yong is Asian/Pacific Islander at 98.1%. The next largest groups are White (0.8%) and Two or More Races (0.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Yong most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Yong in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.1% (15,148 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Yong in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Yong a male name?
Yes, 70.8% of people registered as Yong in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Yong still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Yong in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Yong can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many Americans are named Yong?
See how many Americans are named Yong on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.