Explore the Family Name Yun
The meaning of Yun
1. Korean: written 윤, in Chinese characters 尹, meaning ‘govern’. Although some records indicate the existence of 149 clans, only ten can be documented. Each descends from a different ancestor. The largest, that of P’ap’yŏng, descends from a man named Shin Tal. According to legend, an old woman named Yun On, who lived in P’ap’yŏng, saw a rainbow over a lotus pond in the mountains. When she went to investigate, she found a boy in a box. The boy had scales under his arm and seven dark birth marks on his body. She raised him as her own and gave him her name, Yun. The oldest Yun clan, that of Tamwŏn, descends from a man named Shi-yŏng, who lived during the reign of the Shilla King Muyŏl (654–61). Compare Yoon 1 and Youn. 2. Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 雲, from a word meaning ‘cloud’ in Chinese: (i) from Yun (鄖), the name of an ancient state (located in present-day Hubei province), which was annexed by the state of Chu during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC). The name of the state was adopted as a surname, but a different character pronounced the same, was chosen as the written form. (ii) from the Die Yun (牒雲), Xi Yun (悉雲), Shi Yun (是雲) and You Lian (宥連) families of the Xianbei ethnic group in northern China, who acquired this surname during the Northern Wei dynasty (386–534 AD). (iii) shortened form of Jin Yun (縉雲), said to be the name of an official post during the reign of the legendary Huang Di, the ‘Yellow Emperor’ (c.27th century bc). (iv) adopted as a Han Chinese surname by some minority ethnic groups (such as Mongolians). 3. Chinese: Mandarin form of the surnames 員 or 貟 (another written form of 員): (i) from Yun (鄖), the name of an ancient state, which was annexed by the state of Chu (see 2 (i) above). (ii) from the personal name Yun (員), personal name of Wu Zixu (559–484 BC), a famous general in the state of Wu during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC). (iii) adopted as a surname by Liu Ning, an official during the Song period (420–79 AD) in the Southern dynasties, who changed his original surname Liu (劉) to Yun (員), in memory of his idol Wu Zixu (559–484 BC), a famous general in the state of Wu during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC). 4. Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 惲: (i) adopted in place of another Chinese surname Yun (鄆), which was traced back to name of a fief in the state of Lu during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC). (ii) from the second element of the personal name Xiong Yun (熊惲), style name of King Cheng of Chu (ruler of the state of Chu, died 626 BC). (iii) from the personal name Yun (惲), personal name of Yang Yun (楊惲, died 54 BC), known as Marquis of Pingtong during the Western Han dynasty (206 BC–25 AD), who was killed by Emperor Xuan of Han (91 BC–49 AD). After his death, his descendants adopted his personal name Yun (惲) as the new surname in order to escape from the feud. 5. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surnames 殷, 尹 and 印, see Yin 1–3. 6. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 溫, see Wen 1. 7. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 嚴, see Yan 1. 8. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 阮, see Ruan 3. 9. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 楊, see Yang 1. 10. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 甄, see Zhen. 11. Probably also an Americanized form of Czech Jun ‘youthful, agile’. Some characteristic forenames: Chinese Yong, Young, Jae, Sang, Sung, Song, Eun, Jung, Kyung, Won, Hyung, Kyong. Korean Chong, Byung, Pyong, Chul, Seong, Chang, Myong, Song Su, Wook, Chong Sok, Chong Su, Jeong.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Yun in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Yun gained popularity between the years 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Yun ranked as the 4680th most common surname in the United States, but by 2010 it had risen to the 3981st position, marking a significant increase of nearly 15%. The total count of individuals with this surname also increased from 6927 in 2000 to 8933 in 2010, representing a growth rate of almost 29%. This rise indicates that for every 100,000 people, the proportion of individuals named Yun went up by approximately 18%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #4,680 | #3,981 | 14.94% |
| Count | 6,927 | 8,933 | 28.96% |
| Proportion per 100k | 2.57 | 3.03 | 17.9% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Yun
As for the ethnic identity of those bearing the surname Yun, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals that the majority identify as Asian/Pacific Islander, although there was a slight decrease within this group from 94.05% in 2000 to 93.45% in 2010. The percentage of Yuns identifying with two or more races increased by about 23%, while the proportion identifying as White decreased by around 10%. Interestingly, no Yuns identified as Hispanic or Black in 2000, but the 2010 data shows some Hispanics carrying the surname. No changes were observed among American Indian and Alaskan Native populations.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 94.05% | 93.45% | -0.64% |
| White | 3.33% | 3.01% | -9.61% |
| Two or More Races | 1.93% | 2.37% | 22.8% |
| Hispanic | 0% | 0.86% | 0% |
| Black | 0.39% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |
Yun 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 Yun is Korean, which comprises 63.8% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are Chinese (17.4%) and British & Irish (4.2%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, French & German, Vietnamese, Japanese, and Indonesian, Thai, Khmer & Myanma.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| Korean | 63.8% |
| Chinese | 17.4% |
| British & Irish | 4.2% |
| Other | 14.6% |
Possible origins of the surname Yun
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 Yun have recent ancestry locations in South Korea and China.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Seoul, South Korea | 68.30% |
| Busan, South Korea | 43.30% |
| Jeollabuk Do, South Korea | 36.00% |
| Gyeongsangnam Do, South Korea | 34.10% |
| Daegu, South Korea | 33.50% |
What Yun 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 Yun is O-CTS723, which is predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Haplogroup O-CTS723 is descended from haplogroup O-M1359. Other common haplogroups include C-Z1300 and C-F2613, which are predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American and East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Yoon, Kim, Rhee, Pak, Hwang, Jin, Kang, Park, Seo, Yi.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Yun surname are: B4, D4a, D4. These most commonly trace back to individuals of East Asian & Indigenous American and European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins O-M1359
Your paternal lineage may be linked to the Yayoi
Haplogroup O1b2a, a branch of haplogroup O, is closely related to several haplogroups that are commonly found in Japan. Haplogroup O is closely associated with Kyushu, Japan's third largest island, and makes up over half of all men in Japan. Although haplogroup O is prevalent in Japan, it likely only entered Japan during the Yayoi expansion about 2,300 years ago. During the Yayoi expansion, people entering from the Korean Peninsula brought wet rice agriculture, weaving technology, and metalworking technology to Japan. The Yayoi expansion began on the island of Kyushu, where haplogroup O is very common today. It is possible that some of the early members of O1-F3356 were involved in this major shift, which quickly and dramatically altered Japanese culture.
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 Yun 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.
"Yun" Surname 25.0%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Cheek Dimples
Small indentations that appear on the cheeks when a person smiles.
"Yun" Surname 44.1%
23andMe Users 37.6%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Yun" Surname 19.6%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Yun" Surname 8.9%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Yun?
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 Yun are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition