How common is the surname Yang?

106,033 people in the United States had the surname Yang in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 2,912 Americans. It ranked 290th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Yang?

Yang Shangkun, 4th President of the People's Republic of China (1907–1998), followed by Andrew Yang.

Where is the surname Yang most common?

Wikidata records people named Yang in the United States, the People's Republic of China and Australia and 3 other countries.

Is the surname Yang getting more or less common?

More common. 72,627 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 106,033 in 2010, up 46%.

Is Yang also a first name?

Yes. Yang is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Yang

A Chinese surname, carried by 106,033 people in the United States.

Pronounced /jæŋ/ 1 syllable Soundex Y520 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Yang is more common than 99.8% of them.

Origin

Chinese origin

From various atonal romanizations of various Chinese characters, including 楊 /杨 (yáng, “Willow”) and 洋 (a river name). Korean origins include 梁 and 楊.

One of 193 Chinese surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 106,033 people named Yang in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 2,912 Americans. That is up 46% since 2000, when the Census counted 72,627.

#290

rank among US surnames

106,033

people in 2010

per 100,000 Americans

+46%

change since 2000 (was #397)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#281	Fuller	110,116	2,804
#282	Wang	109,883	2,810
#283	Weber	109,433	2,821
#284	Welch	108,987	2,833
#285	Rojas	108,421	2,848
#286	Lucas	107,690	2,867
#287	Márquez	107,533	2,871

Who is named Yang

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

97% of people named Yang identified as Asian and Pacific Islander, 1.5% as two or more races and 1.0% as white (not Hispanic).

Asian and Pacific Islander 97%
Two or more races 1.5%
White (not Hispanic) 1.0%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 0.5%
Black (not Hispanic) 0.2%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.0%

Compare: most common surnames among Asian and Pacific Islander Americans.

Famous Yangs

10 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Yang Shangkun
4th President of the People's Republic of China (1907–1998)
Andrew Yang
American entrepreneur, attorney and political candidate (born 1975)
Gene Luen Yang
American graphic novelist, born 1973
Jerry Yang
American poker player, born 1968
William Yang
Australian swimmer, born 1998
Hudson Yang
American actor (b. 2003)
Brian Yang
Badminton player, born 2001
Peidong Yang
American chemist, born 1971
Yuan Yang
British-Chinese political, journalist, born 1990
Ken Yeang
Architect, born 1948

Notable Yangs come mostly from the United States (4), the People's Republic of China (2) and Australia (1).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Yang

Yang has the Soundex code Y520, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code Y520.

Other Chinese surnames

All 193 Chinese surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Yang come from?: From various atonal romanizations of various Chinese characters, including 楊 /杨 (yáng, “Willow”) and 洋 (a river name). Korean origins include 梁 and 楊.
How common is the surname Yang?: 106,033 people in the United States had the surname Yang in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 2,912 Americans. It ranked 290th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Yang?: In the 2010 Census, 97% of people named Yang identified as Asian and Pacific Islander, and 1.5% as two or more races.
Who is the most famous person named Yang?: Yang Shangkun, 4th President of the People's Republic of China (1907–1998), followed by Andrew Yang.
Where is the surname Yang most common?: Wikidata records people named Yang in the United States, the People's Republic of China and Australia and 3 other countries.
How do you pronounce Yang?: Yang is /jæŋ/, one syllable.
Is the surname Yang getting more or less common?: More common. 72,627 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 106,033 in 2010, up 46%.
Is Yang also a first name?: Yes. Yang is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.