The Yin surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 6,548 people carried this name — #5,324 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 45,000 people counted. That is up 54% from 4,246 in 2000.

Look up another surname

Share

Where the name comes from

The origin of the Yin surname

From the romanization of various Chinese characters.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Yin» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

89 people named Yin live in Switzerland.

They live in 7 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Vaud.

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

Where they live today

Vaud 34
Zurich 23
Geneva 10
Aargau 7
Basel-Stadt 5
Lucerne 5
St. Gallen 5

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 44 people named Yin.

Most of them — 39 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 5 départements, most often Rhône.

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

Where they were born

Born outside France 39
Rhône 1
Paris 1
Yvelines 1
Yonne 1
Val-de-Marne 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 37 people named Yin 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 Flemish Brabant.

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

Where they live today

Flemish Brabant 22
East Flanders 8
Limburg 7

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

In Argentina’s national register

At least 33 people named Yin 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 22
Buenos Aires Province 11

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

In the Nordic population registers

170 people named Yin are counted in Sweden and Finland.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published. Finland counts its citizens, at home or abroad.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 149
Finland (2026) 21

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown) · Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland, surname statistics, August 2026 — CC BY 4.0.

In print

Yin in American newspapers,
1908–1918.

Newspaper page from Svět = World carrying the name Yin
Svět = World 1918-12-09
Newspaper page from The Day Book carrying the name Yin
The Day Book 1912-07-01
Newspaper page from The Daytona Daily News carrying the name Yin
The Daytona Daily News 1908-12-18

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 463 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Yin in Australian newspapers,
1830s–2000s.

8,207 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Yin. The most, 5,318, date from the 1930s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Victoria, at 2.3 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Victoria 3,332
New South Wales 1,538
South Australia 1,428
Tasmania 731
Queensland 728
Western Australia 343
ACT (Canberra) 60
Northern Territory 6

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

Who carried it

People named Yin,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Yin Changlong d. 1417 · politician
  • Wan Siu Hing d. 1952 · opera singer
  • Yin Lingming d. 655 · painter
  • Yin Yuankai d. 727 · poet
  • Yin Yin d. 741
  • Yin Yingsun d. 889

Wikidata (CC0) · 7 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Yin,
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 States148 records

148 records of the Yin name in the United States
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 100
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 22
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 17
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 6
  • Sacramento County historic burials 3
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Fong Y. Yin

    Born 1907 in Turkey. Enlisted 1942 at Sacramento, California; cook from Los Angeles County, California.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain)
  2. A U.S. Army record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864
    Example: U.S. burial record, 1864
    Burial record Raymond L. Yin

    U.S. Army veteran of the Vietnam War and the Gulf War. Born 1943, died 2001; buried at Hawaii State Veterans Cemetery, Kaneohe, Hawaii.

    U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. The receipt card sent under the U.S. Alien Registration Act of 1940
    Example: U.S. alien registration card, 1940s
    Alien registration Kung-Yin Yin

    Born 1919 in Canton, 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)

Showing 3 of 148 records for Yin in the United States.

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

Australia10 records

10 records of the Yin name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 4
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 3
  • Canberra cemetery and marriage records 2
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 1
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Fook Keat Yin

    Retired accountant of Penang, Malayasia; died 1996.

    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 Willie Yin

    Arrived in Victoria in 1914 aboard the Nikko Maru, aged 50.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Tek Yee Yin

    Died 1971; buried at Gungahlin Cemetery, Canberra, ACT.

    ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 10 records for Yin in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (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); Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Canada9 records

9 records of the Yin name in Canada Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Lai Wing Yin

    Died 1938; buried at Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, British Columbia.

    City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Chin Yin

    Died 1949; buried at Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, British Columbia.

    City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Ng Yin

    Died 1925; buried at Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, British Columbia.

    City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver.

Showing 3 of 9 records for Yin in Canada.

Counts: City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

France6 records

6 records of the Yin 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 Chhoonn Yin

    Born 1939 in Cambodia; died 1999 in Limoges (Haute-Vienne).

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

    Born 1911 in China; died 1994 in Paris.

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

    Born 1945 in Cambodia; died 1991 in Metz (Moselle).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 3 of 6 records for Yin 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).

Netherlands5 records

5 records of the Yin name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 3
  • Dutch population registers 2
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Hsiu Chei Yin

    Died 1954 in Arnhem, aged 56; "restaurateur".

    Open Archives, Gelders Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Tin Yin

    Married in 1938 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 Tin Yin

    In a population register.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 5 records for Yin 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); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Yin.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Yin 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 Yin volume
Scroll to Top