Last Names

Surnames / Y

Yam

How common is the last name Yam?

About this name

We do not yet have a written origin for Yam, so here is what the census records show.

Surname origins are rarely settled, and we would rather say nothing than guess. The sources below are the best places to look, and our guide to how surnames began explains the usual types.

Similar spellings

Names nearby in the census

#16,041

Yam was the 16,041st most common surname in the 2010 US Census, with 1,808 people, about 0.6 in every 100,000.

Who carries it

  • White (non-Hispanic)5.3%
  • Hispanic or Latino9.6%
  • Black (non-Hispanic)<0.1%
  • Asian or Pacific Islander81.8%
  • Two or more races2.5%
  • American Indian or Alaska Native<0.1%

Check the sources

For a name you are serious about, compare the dictionaries: Reaney and Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames; Hanks, Dictionary of American Family Names.