The Yoder surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 56,410 people carried this name — #598 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 5,230 people counted. That is up 27% from 44,245 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Yoder surname

The family name is from German Joder, the name of a clan in the Canton of Bern, Switzerland; which is in turn from the given name Theodor, after St Theodorus, an early Christian religious leader in Switzerland.

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

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 41 people named Yoder.

1 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 3 départements, most often Territoire de Belfort.

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

Where they were born

Born outside France 1
Territoire de Belfort 32
Doubs 6
Bas-Rhin 2

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

In the first U.S. census, 1790

25 families named Yoder, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 133 people lived in those households, 5.3 to a family on average. The table counts it together with one other spelling. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Pennsylvania 25

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 270 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Yoder in American newspapers,
1910–1931.

Newspaper page from The Mathews Journal carrying the name Yoder
The Mathews Journal 1910-05-12
Newspaper page from Grand Prairie News carrying the name Yoder
Grand Prairie News 1921-04-21
Newspaper page from Seward Daily Gateway carrying the name Yoder
Seward Daily Gateway 1931-04-29

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 58,924 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Yoder in Australian newspapers,
1880s–1950s.

44 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Yoder. The most, 13, date from the 1900s.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 20
Queensland 10
Victoria 7
South Australia 3
ACT (Canberra) 1
Tasmania 1

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

Who carried it

People named Yoder,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Samuel S. Yoder
    Samuel S. Yoder 1841–1921 · judge
  • Jeremy Yoder
    Jeremy Yoder 1901– · screenwriter
  • Paul V. Yoder
    Paul V. Yoder 1908–1990 · composer
  • Hatten Yoder
    Hatten Yoder 1921–2003 · geologist
  • John Howard Yoder
    John Howard Yoder 1927–1997 · writer

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped — Jeremy Yoder: Jeremy Yoder, CC BY 2.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0); Hatten Yoder: Unknown authorUnknown author, Licence Ouverte (www.etalab.gouv.fr/licence-ouverte-open-licence); the others are in the public domain or CC0 · 84 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Yoder,
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 States904 records

904 records of the Yoder name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 661
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 178
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 29
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 20
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 13
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 3
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Edward Yoder

    Born 1920 in Kentucky. Enlisted 1942 at Louisville; construction laborer from Jefferson County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1988, buried at Zachary Taylor National Cemetery, Kentucky.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record James Strong Yoder

    Born 1949; from Knoxville, Tennessee. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1967 in Quang Ngai, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)
  3. A U.S. Army record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864
    Example: U.S. burial record, 1864
    Burial record Leroy E. Yoder

    U.S. Air Force veteran of the Korean War and the Vietnam War. Born 1934, died 1998; buried at Fort Custer National Cemetery, Michigan.

    U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)

Showing 3 of 904 records for Yoder in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); Record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864, U.S. National Archives (public domain).

France16 records

16 records of the Yoder 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 Elisa Yoder

    Born 1896 in Grandvillars; died 1985 in Belfort (Territoire de Belfort).

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

    Born 1920 in Morvillars; died 1992 in Morvillars (Territoire de Belfort).

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

    Born 1902 in Florimont (Territoire de Belfort); died 1985 in Montbéliard (Doubs).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 3 of 16 records for Yoder 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).

Australia8 records

8 records of the Yoder name in Australia Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record P. A. Yoder

    Sailed from Victoria in 1908 aboard the Grosser Kurfurst II, bound for Bremen, aged 40.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 1 of 8 records for Yoder in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada3 records

3 records of the Yoder name in Canada
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 2
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 1
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Ronald John Yoder

    Buried in 2000 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 44.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Muriel Joy Yoder

    Died 1990; 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 Robert E. Yoder

    Died 1950; buried at Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, British Columbia.

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

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

Germany1 record

1 record of the Yoder name in Germany Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Anton Yoder

    From Sulzbach, Oberb. Reported wounded in the Bavarian casualty list of 9 July 1918; then reported dead in the list of 6 September 1918.

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Yoder.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Yoder 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 Yoder volume
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