Explore the Family Name Yong
The meaning of Yong
1. Chinese: Mandarin or Cantonese form of the surname 雍, meaning ‘harmony’ in ancient Chinese: (i) from the placename Yong (雍), the name of a fief (located in Fengxiang in Shaanxi province) dating back to the Shang dynasty (1600–1046 BC). (ii) from the placename Yong (雍), the name of a state (located in Henan province) granted to Yong Bo (雍伯) (‘the Earl of Yong’), the 13th son of King Wen of Zhou (1152–1056 BC). After it was annexed by the state of Jin (located mainly in present-day Shanxi province) during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC), people adopted 雍, the name of the state, as their surname. (iii) from the personal name Yong (雍), the name of a son of the Duke Huan of Qi (ruler of the state of Qi, died 643 BC). 2. Chinese: Mandarin form of the Chinese 永, meaning ‘forever’ in Chinese: from the placename Yong (永), the name of a fief (located in present-day Hunan province), granted to an official in the state of Chu during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC). 3. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 容, based on its Cantonese pronunciation. See Rong 2. 4. Chinese: Hakka or Hokkien form of the surnames 楊 and 陽, see Yang 1 and 2. 5. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 翁, see Weng 1. 6. Chinese: Hakka form of the surname 熊, see Xiong 1. 7. Korean: there are two Chinese characters and two clans associated with the Yong surname; one is too rare to be treated here. The other claims its origins in prehistoric tribal Korea. In this early period, tribes would assume the names of animals. It is said that the Yong surname (which means ‘dragon’) came into being when the tiger tribe wished to avoid being named after a man-eating beast. The first recorded ancestor was an official in the court of the Koryŏ king Wŏn-jong (1260–73). 8. English and Scottish: variant of Young. 9. Americanized form of Dutch Jong. Some characteristic forenames: Chinese Hai Long, Khee, Leong, Seung, Xinsheng, Chen, Chi Kin, Ching, Ching-Mei, Choi, Chang, Chong Su, Chu, Eng, Fong, Hak Soo, Hu, Kok, Kwang-Soo, Min, Pak, Soon Young. Southeast Asian Bian, Hung, Mui, Phal, Phan, Savuth, Seong, Son, Tan, Thao.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Yong in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Yong has seen a decline over the years. In 2000, Yong was ranked as the 8578th most popular surname and by 2010 it had dropped down to the 10316th spot, marking a decrease of about 20%. The count of people with the Yong surname also decreased from 3535 in 2000 to 3123 in 2010, a drop of approximately 11.65%. Correspondingly, the proportion of the Yong name per 100,000 people fell by about 19%, from 1.31 to 1.06.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #8,578 | #10,316 | -20.26% |
| Count | 3,535 | 3,123 | -11.65% |
| Proportion per 100k | 1.31 | 1.06 | -19.08% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Yong
Regarding the ethnic identity associated with the surname Yong, data from the Decennial U.S. Census reveals that the majority of those carrying this surname identified as Asian/Pacific Islander, though there was a minor decrease from 78.13% in 2000 to 77.46% in 2010. White individuals with the Yong surname decreased significantly by about 28%, from 9.05% to 6.44%. Meanwhile, the percentage of those identifying as Hispanic increased substantially by more than half, from 5.86% to 8.97%. Black and American Indian/Alaskan Native identities remained at 0%, while those who identified with two or more races saw a decrease of about 9%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 78.13% | 77.46% | -0.86% |
| Hispanic | 5.86% | 8.97% | 53.07% |
| White | 9.05% | 6.44% | -28.84% |
| Two or More Races | 4.38% | 3.97% | -9.36% |
| Black | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |
Yong ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Yong is Chinese, which comprises 63.7% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are Korean (7.3%) and British & Irish (5.6%). Additional ancestries include Indonesian, Thai, Khmer & Myanma, Spanish & Portuguese, Japanese, French & German, and Chinese Dai.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| Chinese | 63.7% |
| Korean | 7.3% |
| British & Irish | 5.6% |
| Other | 23.4% |
Possible origins of the surname Yong
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Yong have recent ancestry locations in China and Taiwan.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Guangdong, China | 68.70% |
| Zhejiang, China | 61.40% |
| Shandong, China | 60.20% |
| Fujian, China | 60.20% |
| Jiangsu, China | 60.20% |
What Yong haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Yong is O-F11, which is predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Haplogroup O-F11 is descended from haplogroup O-M1359. Other common haplogroups include O-M307.1 and O-M1470, which are predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American and East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Xue, Yao, Tong, To, Kao, Kuo, Hsu, Ku, Xie, Xiao.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Yong surname are: N, H, D4. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins O-M1359
Your paternal lineage may be linked to many of the Massim groups of Papua New Guinea
Haplogroup O2a is prevalent among Massim ethnic groups, including the populations of Airara, Nomanby, the eastern tip of the mainland, the Trobriand Islands, Gawa, Woodlark, the Laughland Islands, and western Calvados. While Papua New Guinea has been inhabited for over 50,000 years, the Massim may have arrived in the last 2,000 years. Today, these populations remain connected through a traditional island trading system called the Kula Ring. Under this exchange system, residents ensure that goods that are only available on some islands, but that are vitally needed in other islands, are shared among the island populations. Only Massim men participate in the Kula exchange system, and it is common for men to be away from home for months at a time when trading with men from other islands.
Your maternal lineage may be linked to the Han
Members of haplogroup D are found in both northern and southern Han Chinese populations at low to moderate frequencies. The Han people, who all share the same language and similar cultural practices, are the largest ethnic group in the world, with about 1.2 billion people. Historical evidence shows that Han people are descendants of the ancient Huaxia tribes that come from northern China, and Han language and culture only expanded into southern China in the last 2,000 years. The spread of Han people and culture from northern to southern China was likely driven by warfare and famine in the north.
What do people with the surname Yong have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Yong" Surname 41.2%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Cheek Dimples
Small indentations that appear on the cheeks when a person smiles.
"Yong" Surname 46.7%
23andMe Users 37.6%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Yong" Surname 7.2%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Yong?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Yong are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition