Yancey
A surname of uncertain origin, probably an English family name that later became well established in the American South.
The #2,656 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 22,759 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The available excerpts do not give a direct etymology for Yancey, and standard surname works often treat it as a name of uncertain or obscure origin. In practice, it is usually handled as an English surname that was carried into North America, where it became especially familiar in the United States. The name may reflect an older place-name or family-name form, but the evidence here is not strong enough to state a precise root with confidence.
History
Yancey is best known in the United States, particularly in the South, and appears in historical records there from the 19th century onward. The surname is also associated with notable American figures, including politicians and public men, which helped keep it visible in print. Because the excerpted sources only mention it incidentally, they do not clarify whether the name is originally locational, occupational, or a variant of another surname.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The spelling Yancey and the shorter Yancy are both encountered in American records, and the name became especially recognizable in Southern U.S. history.
From the historical record
“Yam, 36. Yancey.f Yankower, 455. Yard, 285, 285, 286.”
— Suffolk Surnames (3rd ed.)