Explore the Family Name Yildiz

The meaning of Yildiz

Turkish (Yıldız): ornamental name or nickname from yıldız ‘star’, figuratively ‘destiny’. Yıldız is just behind the five most common surnames in Turkey.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Yildiz in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Yildiz has shown a significant increase in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it ranked 55,481st, but by 2010, it had jumped to the 33,596th spot, showing an impressive change of approximately 39.45%. The number of people bearing this surname nearly doubled during this period, from just 346 individuals in 2000 to 678 in 2010, representing a growth of about 95.95%. This surge in popularity also led to an increase in the proportion of individuals with the Yildiz surname per 100,000 people, which rose by 76.92%.

20002010Change
Rank#55,481#33,59639.45%
Count34667895.95%
Proportion per 100k0.130.2376.92%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Yildiz

Discussing the ethnic identity of the individuals with the Yildiz surname based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, there have been some notable changes between 2000 and 2010. The percentage of those identifying as White increased significantly from 74.28% in 2000 to 90.86% in 2010, a change of around 22.32%. However, there was a substantial decrease in those identifying with two or more races, dropping from 23.12% to 3.54%, a decline of nearly 84.69%. While the percentage of individuals identifying as Hispanic remained largely stable, there were new entries in the ethnicities identified, with 2.51% identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and 1.03% as Black in 2010, where no such identification was recorded in 2000. There was no change in the percentage identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native.

20002010Change
White74.28%90.86%22.32%
Two or More Races23.12%3.54%-84.69%
Asian/Pacific Islander0%2.51%0%
Hispanic2.02%2.06%1.98%
Black0%1.03%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%