Yi Surname
Approximately 2,456,163 people bear this surname
Yi Surname User-submission:
Yi (弋), an old character meaning bow with string and arrow (stroke 1 being the arrow, stroke 2 being the bow, stroke 3 being the string), or otherwise meaning, "to shoot". Some people think this Yi is referencing the Chinese archer, HouYi, however, that Yi is this one: 羿.
Read More About This SurnameYi Surname Distribution Map
| Place | Incidence | Frequency | Rank in Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 2,182,145 | 1:627 | 97 |
| Myanmar | 180,931 | 1:287 | 59 |
| Cambodia | 23,977 | 1:646 | 172 |
| United States | 22,490 | 1:16,116 | 2,044 |
| Singapore | 10,387 | 1:530 | 90 |
| Taiwan | 9,016 | 1:2,600 | 98 |
| Thailand | 6,503 | 1:10,862 | 637 |
| Hong Kong | 5,454 | 1:1,345 | 128 |
| Malaysia | 2,938 | 1:10,039 | 1,133 |
| Nigeria | 1,802 | 1:98,303 | 6,711 |
| South Korea | 1,456 | 1:35,192 | 133 |
| Canada | 1,301 | 1:28,321 | 3,739 |
| Australia | 1,026 | 1:26,312 | 3,582 |
| Brazil | 535 | 1:400,139 | 15,252 |
| Ghana | 416 | 1:64,954 | 6,785 |
| Macau | 410 | 1:1,467 | 189 |
| India | 402 | 1:1,908,123 | 66,445 |
| Indonesia | 400 | 1:330,623 | 28,905 |
| Japan | 399 | 1:320,412 | 11,497 |
| Saudi Arabia | 398 | 1:77,527 | 10,981 |
| Dominican Republic | 385 | 1:27,099 | 1,663 |
| Pakistan | 371 | 1:481,520 | 8,426 |
| Peru | 317 | 1:100,265 | 6,399 |
| England | 289 | 1:192,796 | 17,040 |
| France | 288 | 1:230,634 | 35,776 |
| United Arab Emirates | 252 | 1:36,358 | 3,839 |
| New Zealand | 197 | 1:22,986 | 4,040 |
| Vietnam | 189 | 1:490,191 | 1,434 |
| Germany | 141 | 1:570,961 | 46,627 |
| Cuba | 126 | 1:91,450 | 2,877 |
| Spain | 113 | 1:413,735 | 22,335 |
| Brunei | 87 | 1:4,813 | 732 |
| Colombia | 82 | 1:582,611 | 7,469 |
| Guam | 82 | 1:1,953 | 256 |
| Netherlands | 82 | 1:205,941 | 28,291 |
| Ecuador | 65 | 1:244,705 | 8,424 |
| Panama | 59 | 1:66,309 | 2,910 |
| French Polynesia | 55 | 1:5,106 | 1,145 |
| Sweden | 53 | 1:185,788 | 12,836 |
| Mexico | 49 | 1:2,533,188 | 21,064 |
| Venezuela | 45 | 1:671,202 | 11,567 |
| Chile | 31 | 1:568,273 | 13,994 |
| Qatar | 31 | 1:76,064 | 7,685 |
| Belgium | 26 | 1:442,179 | 45,013 |
| Italy | 26 | 1:2,352,180 | 93,058 |
| South Africa | 25 | 1:2,167,108 | 94,352 |
| Russia | 24 | 1:6,005,127 | 248,576 |
| Philippines | 23 | 1:4,401,662 | 162,661 |
| Argentina | 17 | 1:2,514,318 | 114,515 |
| Angola | 16 | 1:1,686,826 | 3,823 |
| Norway | 16 | 1:321,393 | 31,311 |
| American Samoa | 14 | 1:3,983 | 910 |
| Switzerland | 14 | 1:586,637 | 40,624 |
| Denmark | 13 | 1:434,209 | 28,556 |
| Scotland | 11 | 1:486,711 | 19,179 |
| Cameroon | 10 | 1:2,076,907 | 105,188 |
| Egypt | 9 | 1:10,215,084 | 48,153 |
| Ethiopia | 9 | 1:10,838,474 | 14,518 |
| Hungary | 9 | 1:1,090,697 | 49,203 |
| Iran | 8 | 1:9,597,816 | 173,045 |
| Northern Mariana Islands | 8 | 1:6,822 | 652 |
| Finland | 6 | 1:916,117 | 41,832 |
| Afghanistan | 5 | 1:6,430,637 | 27,710 |
| Belarus | 5 | 1:1,900,212 | 97,012 |
| Israel | 5 | 1:1,711,527 | 84,568 |
| Bahrain | 4 | 1:337,152 | 6,054 |
| Iraq | 4 | 1:8,755,414 | 23,373 |
| Laos | 4 | 1:1,647,081 | 888 |
| Rwanda | 4 | 1:2,841,244 | 3,611 |
| Kenya | 3 | 1:15,393,300 | 77,493 |
| Nepal | 3 | 1:9,493,652 | 16,132 |
| Turkey | 3 | 1:25,940,474 | 162,557 |
| Wales | 3 | 1:1,031,511 | 34,732 |
| Ireland | 2 | 1:2,354,470 | 19,715 |
| Algeria | 2 | 1:19,315,776 | 97,017 |
| Austria | 2 | 1:4,257,718 | 99,224 |
| Benin | 2 | 1:5,167,801 | 84,334 |
| Burkina Faso | 2 | 1:9,176,050 | 23,741 |
| Czechia | 2 | 1:5,316,734 | 169,646 |
| Greece | 2 | 1:5,539,895 | 129,142 |
| Honduras | 2 | 1:4,408,221 | 7,709 |
| Oman | 2 | 1:1,843,986 | 9,590 |
| Paraguay | 2 | 1:3,618,373 | 13,977 |
| Romania | 2 | 1:10,038,935 | 80,612 |
| Tanzania | 2 | 1:26,470,806 | 111,653 |
| Ukraine | 2 | 1:22,761,348 | 425,733 |
| Armenia | 1 | 1:2,930,180 | 22,770 |
| Bangladesh | 1 | 1:159,356,773 | 26,077 |
| Belize | 1 | 1:355,474 | 3,977 |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1 | 1:3,536,402 | 19,532 |
| Cayman Islands | 1 | 1:63,893 | 2,384 |
| Chad | 1 | 1:13,592,199 | 13,092 |
| Costa Rica | 1 | 1:4,780,069 | 13,345 |
| DR Congo | 1 | 1:73,879,570 | 260,543 |
| East Timor | 1 | 1:1,215,928 | 507 |
| Georgia | 1 | 1:3,745,545 | 47,852 |
| Guatemala | 1 | 1:16,082,668 | 12,169 |
| Iceland | 1 | 1:380,090 | 11,096 |
| Jordan | 1 | 1:8,842,437 | 26,010 |
| Kazakhstan | 1 | 1:17,682,496 | 204,010 |
| Kuwait | 1 | 1:3,800,694 | 27,187 |
| Latvia | 1 | 1:2,050,046 | 60,295 |
| Lebanon | 1 | 1:5,637,083 | 32,436 |
| Lithuania | 1 | 1:3,034,588 | 47,401 |
| Luxembourg | 1 | 1:580,542 | 15,155 |
| Maldives | 1 | 1:404,172 | 7,269 |
| Mauritania | 1 | 1:4,094,863 | 38,869 |
| Mongolia | 1 | 1:2,825,289 | 17,010 |
| Morocco | 1 | 1:34,476,099 | 111,471 |
| Mozambique | 1 | 1:27,261,569 | 7,432 |
| Palau | 1 | 1:21,643 | 223 |
| Papua New Guinea | 1 | 1:8,153,717 | 181,784 |
| Poland | 1 | 1:38,008,749 | 231,653 |
| Senegal | 1 | 1:14,579,342 | 11,705 |
| Slovakia | 1 | 1:5,336,450 | 140,422 |
| Sri Lanka | 1 | 1:20,808,560 | 18,521 |
| Sudan | 1 | 1:37,510,195 | 14,259 |
| Tajikistan | 1 | 1:8,386,692 | 12,859 |
| Uganda | 1 | 1:39,039,279 | 258,887 |
| Vanuatu | 1 | 1:263,276 | 2,086 |
| Zambia | 1 | 1:15,849,922 | 53,989 |
| Place | Incidence | Frequency | Rank in Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 12 | 1:4,184,890 | 180,076 |
The alternate forms: Yì (3) are calculated separately.
Yi (310,702) may also be a first name.
Yi Surname Meaning
User-submitted Reference
Yi (弋), an old character meaning bow with string and arrow (stroke 1 being the arrow, stroke 2 being the bow, stroke 3 being the string), or otherwise meaning, "to shoot". Some people think this Yi is referencing the Chinese archer, HouYi, however, that Yi is this one: 羿. My mother tells me that our surname, 弋, is the result of a great Chinese strategist and war hero naming all of his sons rhyming names, his name being Mi. For example, his eldest son was named after him (Mi), and the next would be named Li, and the next, Yui, and so on. One of his sons happened to be a keen archer, and thus was given the name Yi (弋).There is a group of people living in Chine known as the Yi People, and many of them happen to also be named Yi, but not this one 弋.This specific character of Yi (弋) isn't seen very often (at least in my experience), and is only passed down from the direct descendants (first born or otherwise, son) of the first Yi (弋). son of Mi (I think it's 米?).
- casiriaSome Korean Yi families trace their origins back to China. The founder of the Choson Kingdom, or Yi Dynasty, Yi Song-gye, was a member of the Yi clan from Chonju. This clan ruled the Korean peninsula from 1392 to 1910. Chinese: from an area named Yi, probably from Yi county in Hebei province.
- watermelon101Yi Demographics
Average Yi Salary in
United States
$51,770 USD
Per year
Average Salary in
United States
$43,149 USD
Per year
View the highest/lowest earning families in The United States
Yi Last Name Facts
Where Does The Last Name Yi Come From? nationality or country of origin
Yi (Hindi: यी, Marathi: यी, Oriya: ଦି, Russian: Йи) is carried by more people in China than any other country/territory. It can be found in the variant forms: Yì. Click here to see other potential spellings of this surname.
How Common Is The Last Name Yi? popularity and diffusion
The surname Yi is the 217th most frequently held family name globally, borne by approximately 1 in 2,967 people. The surname Yi is predominantly found in Asia, where 99 percent of Yi live; 90 percent live in East Asia and 89 percent live in Sino-East Asia. Yi is also the 3,363rd most frequently held first name on earth, held by 310,702 people.
The surname is most numerous in China, where it is borne by 2,182,145 people, or 1 in 627. Beside China this surname occurs in 120 countries. It is also common in Myanmar, where 7 percent are found and Cambodia, where 1 percent are found.
Yi Family Population Trend historical fluctuation
The frequency of Yi has changed through the years. In The United States the number of people carrying the Yi surname rose 187,417 percent between 1880 and 2014.
Yi Last Name Statistics demography
The religious devotion of those holding the last name is principally Christian (100%) in Nigeria.
In The United States Yi are 1.21% more likely to be registered Democrats than The US average, with 52.02% registered with the political party.
The amount Yi earn in different countries varies greatly. In Norway they earn 12.75% more than the national average, earning 390,209 kr per year; in Peru they earn 109.87% more than the national average, earning S/. 40,684 per year; in South Africa they earn 485.29% more than the national average, earning R 1,390,860 per year; in Colombia they earn 10.32% less than the national average, earning $20,360,200 COP per year; in United States they earn 19.98% more than the national average, earning $51,770 USD per year and in Canada they earn 12.61% more than the national average, earning $55,948 CAD per year.
Phonetically Similar Names
| Surname | Similarity | Worldwide Incidence | Prevalency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yì | 83 | 3 | / |
| Yip | 80 | 146,071 | / |
| Yit | 80 | 2,757 | / |
| Yih | 80 | 1,406 | / |
| Yie | 80 | 1,227 | / |
| Yis | 80 | 791 | / |
| Yiğ | 80 | 260 | / |
| Hyi | 80 | 197 | / |
| Yid | 80 | 42 | / |
| Jyi | 80 | 28 | / |
| Yiz | 80 | 7 | / |
| I | 67 | 7,588,136 | / |
| Y | 67 | 39,814 | / |
| Ohyi | 67 | 711 | / |
| Ahyi | 67 | 411 | / |
| Yiğe | 67 | 250 | / |
| Yihs | 67 | 205 | / |
| Yipp | 67 | 69 | / |
| Yich | 67 | 52 | / |
| Yihe | 67 | 33 | / |
| Yish | 67 | 17 | / |
| Yiss | 67 | 5 | / |
| Ehyi | 67 | 3 | / |
| Yist | 67 | 2 | / |
| Yitt | 67 | 2 | / |
| O'Yi | 67 | 2 | / |
| Uhyi | 67 | 1 | / |
| Yihz | 67 | 1 | / |
| Yids | 67 | 1 | / |
| Yidz | 67 | 1 | / |
| Ieyi | 67 | 1 | / |
| Hhyi | 67 | 1 | / |
| Yizz | 67 | 1 | / |
| Yiph | 67 | 1 | / |
| Yijz | 67 | 1 | / |
Yi Name Transliterations
| Transliteration | ICU Latin | Percentage of Incidence |
|---|---|---|
| Yi in the Oriya language | ||
| ଦି | di | - |
| Yi in the Marathi language | ||
| यी | yi | - |
| Yi in the Hindi language | ||
| यी | yi | 93.33 |
| बी | bi | 6.67 |
| Yi in the Russian language | ||
| Йи | ji | - |
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Footnotes
- Surnames are taken as the first part of an person's inherited family name, caste, clan name or in some cases patronymic
- Descriptions may contain details on the name's etymology, origin, ethnicity and history. They are largely reproduced from 3rd party sources; diligence is advised on accepting their validity - more information
- Name distribution statistics are generated from a global database of over 4 billion people - more information
- Heatmap: Dark red means there is a higher occurrence of the name, transitioning to light yellow signifies a progressively lower occurrence. Clicking on selected countries will show mapping at a regional level
- Rank: Name are ranked by incidence using the ordinal ranking method; the name that occurs the most is assigned a rank of 1; name that occur less frequently receive an incremented rank; if two or more name occur the same number of times they are assigned the same rank and successive rank is incremented by the total preceeding names
- Ethnic group cannot necessarily be determined by geographic occurrence
- Similar: Names listed in the "Similar" section are phonetically similar and may not have any relation to Yi
- To find out more about this surname's family history, lookup records on FamilySearch, MyHeritage, FindMyPast and Ancestry. Further information may be obtained by DNA analysis