The Yen surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 5,066 people carried this name — #6,671 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 58,100 people counted. That is up 8% from 4,676 in 2000.

Look up another surname

Share

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 32 people named Yen.

Most of them — 21 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 7 départements, most often Allier.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 21
Allier 3
Paris 3
Alpes-Maritimes 1
Meurthe-et-Moselle 1
Saône-et-Loire 1
Yvelines 1
Hauts-de-Seine 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In Belgium’s population register

At least 25 people named Yen live in Belgium.

Statbel only publishes a name in a municipality when five or more people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Limburg.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Limburg 17
Antwerp 8

Statbel (Statistics Belgium), family names of the population by municipality, 1 January 2026 — CC BY 4.0.

In Argentina’s national register

At least 24 people named Yen live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in City of Buenos Aires.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

City of Buenos Aires 24

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In print

Yen in American newspapers,
1899–1913.

Newspaper page from The Presbyterian Of The South : [combining The] Southwestern Presbyterian, Central Presbyterian, Southern Presbyterian carrying the name Yen
The Presbyterian Of The South : [combining The] Southwestern Presbyterian, Central Presbyterian, Southern Presbyterian 1913-04-16
Newspaper page from The Presbyterian Of The South : [combining The] Southwestern Presbyterian, Central Presbyterian, Southern Presbyterian carrying the name Yen
The Presbyterian Of The South : [combining The] Southwestern Presbyterian, Central Presbyterian, Southern Presbyterian 1913-04-16
Newspaper page from The Saint Paul Globe carrying the name Yen
The Saint Paul Globe 1899-08-06

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 865 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Yen in Australian newspapers,
1840s–2010s.

4,584 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Yen. The most, 1,102, date from the 1920s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in South Australia, at 1.5 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 1,423
Victoria 1,065
South Australia 819
Queensland 752
Western Australia 255
Tasmania 151
ACT (Canberra) 95
Northern Territory 2

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Yen.

Who carried it

People named Yen,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Ali Sami Yen
    Ali Sami Yen 1886–1951 · association football coach
  • Ali Sami Yen
    Ali Sami Yen 1886–1951 · association football coach
  • Chen-Hsing Yen 1912–2005 · mechanical engineer
  • Chen-Hsing Yen 1912–2005 · mechanical engineer
  • Samuel S. C. Yen 1927–2006 · physician
  • Samuel S. C. Yen 1927–2006 · physician

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Yen,
in the records of 5 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States207 records

207 records of the Yen name in the United States
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 140
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 24
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 23
  • Sacramento County historic burials 16
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 2
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 2
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Ah K. Yen

    Born 1908. Enlisted 1943 at New York City; cook from New York County, New York. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1977, buried at Long Island National Cemetery, New York.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. The receipt card sent under the U.S. Alien Registration Act of 1940
    Example: U.S. alien registration card, 1940s
    Alien registration Mee K. Yen

    Born 1920 in Gum Lung V, China. Entered the United States at San Francisco in 1948. Listed in the U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955.

    U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain)
  3. A U.S. Army record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864
    Example: U.S. burial record, 1864
    Burial record Lee Yen

    Died 1921, aged 65; buried at City Cem no card, Sacramento County, California.

    Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 207 records for Yen in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Alien Registration Receipt Card, Form AR-3, photo by Bobjgalindo via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0); Record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864, U.S. National Archives (public domain).

Canada24 records

24 records of the Yen name in Canada
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 15
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 6
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 2
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 1
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Mah Yen

    Died 1979, aged 83; buried at Brookside Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Wong Due Yen

    Died 1929; buried at Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, British Columbia.

    City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Birth record Marrie Yee Yen

    Born 1924 in Glace Bay, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 24 records for Yen in Canada.

Counts: City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Australia15 records

15 records of the Yen name in Australia
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 7
  • Tasmanian Names Index 4
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 4
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record James Wong Yen

    Retired of Beaumaris, Victoria; died 1978.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Fanne Yen

    Arrived in Tasmania in 1866 aboard the Southern Cross from Melbourne.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Birth record Henry Frederick Yen

    Born 1887 in Ringarooma, Tasmania.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 15 records for Yen in Australia.

Counts: Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

France5 records

5 records of the Yen name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Irene Yen

    Born 1907 in Hungary; died 1990 in Grenoble (Isère).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Phat Chi Yen

    Born 1948 in Vietnam; died 2000 in Mulhouse (Haut-Rhin).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  3. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Iane Yen

    Born 1910 in Vietnam; died 1998 in Pierre-Bénite (Rhône).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 3 of 5 records for Yen in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Netherlands4 records

4 records of the Yen name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 2
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 2
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Ying Yen

    Died 1964 in De Bilt, aged 51.

    Open Archives, Het Utrechts Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Ching Yen

    Died 1921 in Rotterdam.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Cuo Jan Yen

    In the population register of 's-Gravenhage; born 1902 in Hupo.

    Open Archives, Haags Gemeentearchief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 4 records for Yen in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Yen.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Yen is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the Yen volume
Scroll to Top