2000
#4,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,990
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.59
Rare Last name
Yuen
A Chinese surname meaning "origin" or "spring," likely referring to a place of origin or a water source.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,832 Americans carry the last name Yuen. That puts it at #4,468 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.58 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 38,808 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Yuen 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 Yuen with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.8K
1 in 38,808
Census rank
#4,468
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,702 bearers of the surname Yuen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.58 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4468th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Yuen, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 86.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.2%) and White (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Yuen
The surname Yuen has its origins in China, dating back to the Han Dynasty (202 BC - 220 AD). It is a romanized form of the Chinese characters 袁, which can be traced back to the ancient Chinese state of Yan during the Zhou Dynasty (1046 BC - 256 BC).
The Yuen surname is believed to have originated from the family name of the ancient Yan nobles and rulers, who held significant power and influence in the region now known as Hebei province. The characters 袁 were initially used as a title or designation for these nobles before becoming a hereditary surname.
During the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907 AD), the Yuen surname gained prominence with the rise of the Yuwen clan, a prominent aristocratic family that produced several influential officials and military leaders. One notable figure was Yuwen Kai (557 - 612 AD), a powerful warlord and the first ruler of the Sui Dynasty's short-lived rival state, the Sui Dynasty.
In ancient Chinese records and manuscripts, such as the Tang Huiyao (a collection of administrative documents from the Tang Dynasty), the Yuen surname is mentioned in connection with various historical figures and events. For instance, Yuen Jingping (665 - 737 AD), a renowned Tang Dynasty scholar and calligrapher, is celebrated for his contributions to Chinese literature and art.
The earliest known written record of the Yuen surname can be found in the Book of Han, a historical text compiled during the Eastern Han Dynasty (25 - 220 AD). This work mentions individuals with the Yuen surname serving as officials and scholars during that period.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the Yuen surname, including Yuen Ying-wan (1636 - 1704 AD), a renowned Qing Dynasty painter and calligrapher; Yuen Mei (1623 - 1697 AD), a prominent Confucian scholar and philosopher; Yuen Shu (1144 - 1229 AD), a Southern Song Dynasty military leader and strategist; Yuen Zhongxue (1574 - 1646 AD), a Ming Dynasty philosopher and writer; and Yuen Shikai (1859 - 1916 AD), a influential military leader and the first formal president of the Republic of China.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Yuen
Among Census respondents with the surname Yuen, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 86.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.2%) and White (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Yuen 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 Yuen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander86.1% · 6,631
- Two or more races6.2% · 476
- White3.9% · 297
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 272
- Black or African American0.3% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Yuen
Yuen 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
#4,614
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,688
+698 bearers (+10.0%)
Per 100,000 2.61
Rank movement Up 25 places
2020
#4,468
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,702
+14 bearers (+0.2%)
Per 100,000 2.58
Rank movement Up 146 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,639 | 6,990 | 2.59 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,614 | 7,688 | 2.61 | +698 bearers (+10.0%) | Up 25 places |
| 2020 | #4,468 | 7,702 | 2.58 | +14 bearers (+0.2%) | Up 146 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 Yuen 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 | #4,614 | #4,468 | 3.2% |
| Count | 7,688 | 7,702 | 0.2% |
| Per 100K | 2.61 | 2.58 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Yuen bearers went from 7,688 to 7,702 (+0.2% change). The surname moved up 146 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,614 to #4,468.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Yuen
FAQ
Yuen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Yuen?
Name Census estimates that about 8,832 living Americans carry the surname Yuen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 38,808 residents.
How common is Yuen?
Yuen ranks #4,468 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.58 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,702 people with the surname Yuen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,832), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.58 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.58 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Yuen.
Has Yuen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Yuen went from 7,688 recorded bearers to 7,702. That is an increase of 14 (+0.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,614 to #4,468.
What does the Census say about the background of Yuen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Yuen, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 86.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.2%) and White (3.9%). 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 Yuen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.1% (6,631 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Yuen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (86.1%), Two or More Races (6.2%), White (3.9%). 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 Yuen (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 Yuen mean?
A Chinese surname meaning "origin" or "spring," likely referring to a place of origin or a water source. 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 Yuen (2.58 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 have the last name Yuen?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Yuen at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.