2000
#4,255
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,705
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.86
Rare Last name
Yount
Derived from a place name meaning "young" or "youthful" in Old English, likely referring to a person's appearance or character.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,451 Americans carry the last name Yount. That puts it at #4,668 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.47 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 40,558 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Yount 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
8.5K
1 in 40,558
Census rank
#4,668
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,370 bearers of the surname Yount in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.47 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4668th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Yount, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Yount
The surname Yount has its origins in England. It is derived from the Old English word "geat" which means "gate" or "opening." The name likely referred to someone who lived near a gate or opening in a fence or wall.
The earliest recorded instance of the name dates back to the 13th century in the county of Yorkshire. In the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379, a Johannes atte Yate is listed, reflecting the Old English roots of the name. Other early spellings included Yate, Yeate, and Yait.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was William Yate, who was born in 1510 in Gloucestershire. He was a prominent landowner and served as a Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire in 1545.
In the 16th century, the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a great survey of landowners and property in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The entry lists a Robert de la Yate as a landholder in Gloucestershire.
The name Yount has been associated with several notable figures throughout history. Sir Henry Yate (1558-1623) was an English soldier and diplomat who served as the Ambassador to France during the reign of King James I. Thomas Yate (1616-1681) was an English clergyman and author who wrote several religious works.
Another prominent bearer of the name was Sir Walter Yonge (1592-1649), who was a Member of Parliament and a supporter of the Royalist cause during the English Civil War. He was knighted by King Charles I in 1628.
In the late 18th century, John Yount (1753-1833) was a pioneer and frontiersman who settled in what is now West Virginia. He played a significant role in the early exploration and settlement of the region.
The name Yount has also been associated with several famous authors and writers. Charles Dudley Yount (1811-1892) was an American author and journalist who wrote for several publications, including the New York Tribune. John Yount (1921-2006) was an American playwright and screenwriter best known for his work on the Broadway play "Spoon River Anthology."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Yount
Among Census respondents with the surname Yount, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Yount 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 Yount surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 6,779
- Two or more races3.6% · 263
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 179
- Black or African American0.9% · 67
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 51
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 31
Timeline
Historical Census data for Yount
Yount 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
#4,538
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,817
+112 bearers (+1.5%)
Per 100,000 2.65
Rank movement Down 283 places
2020
#4,668
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,370
-447 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 2.47
Rank movement Down 130 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,255 | 7,705 | 2.86 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,538 | 7,817 | 2.65 | +112 bearers (+1.5%) | Down 283 places |
| 2020 | #4,668 | 7,370 | 2.47 | -447 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 130 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 Yount 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 | #4,538 | #4,668 | -2.9% |
| Count | 7,817 | 7,370 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 2.65 | 2.47 | -7.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Yount bearers went from 7,817 to 7,370 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 130 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,538 to #4,668.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Yount
FAQ
Yount surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Yount?
Name Census estimates that about 8,451 living Americans carry the surname Yount. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 40,558 residents.
How common is Yount?
Yount ranks #4,668 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.47 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,370 people with the surname Yount. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,451), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.47 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.47 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Yount.
Has Yount become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Yount went from 7,817 recorded bearers to 7,370. That is a decrease of 447 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,538 to #4,668.
What does the Census say about the background of Yount?
Among Census respondents with the surname Yount, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Yount in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (6,779 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Yount appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Yount (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 Yount mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "young" or "youthful" in Old English, likely referring to a person's appearance or character. 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 Yount (2.47 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 Yount?
You can see how many people have the last name Yount on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.