Show ContentsYong History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Yong is part of the ancient legacy of the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. Yong was a name used for a person who was very young, from the Old English word yong and yung and was first bestowed on the younger of two bearers of the same personal name, usually a son who was named for his father.

Early Origins of the Yong family

The surname Yong was first found in Essex, where the first record of the name appears in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle as Wilfer seo lunga in 744. Many years later Walter Yonge was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1296. 1

Another reference lists Hugh le Yunge in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 as residing in Oxfordshire. The same rolls list Ralph le Younge in Staffordshire and later William le Yunge in Northumberland during the reign of Edward I. 2

Down in Devon, Honiton was "for a long period it was very much of a family borough. Members of the Yonge family sat almost continuously from 1640 to 1796." 3

Early History of the Yong family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Yong research. Another 117 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1271, 1400, 1405, 1407, 1411, 1413, 1414, 1423, 1425, 1426, 1437, 1455, 1463, 1466, 1467, 1476, 1500, 1516, 1526, 1579, 1603, 1642, 1646, 1649, 1660, 1663, 1721, 1860, 1868 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Yong History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Yong Spelling Variations

Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Yong include Young, Younge, Yonge, Youngson and others.

Early Notables of the Yong family

Distinguished members of the family include

  • James Yonge (fl. 1423), English translator who belonged to an English family settled in the Irish pale. William Yonge, Archdeacon of Meath from 1407 to 1437, was possibly his brother. "James Yonge was...
  • Thomas Yonge (1405?-1476), was an English judge, born about 1405, the elder son of Thomas Yonge (d. 1426), who was Mayor of Bristol in 1411, and represented Bristol in parliament in 1413-1414. His you...
  • John Yonge (1467-1516), was Master of the Rolls and diplomatist, born in 1467 at Heyford in Oxfordshire. Another John Yonge (1463-1526), was Bishop of Callipoli, born at Newton Longville in Buckingham...
  • Walter Yonge of Colyton and Devon (1579-1649), was an English lawyer, merchant and diarist; Sir John Yonge, 1st Baronet (1603-1663), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1642...

Yong Ranking

In the United States, the name Yong is the 12,284th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Yong family to Ireland

Some of the Yong family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 121 words (9 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Yong migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Yong were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records:

Yong Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Mary Yong, who arrived in Virginia in 1663 5
  • Alice Yong, who landed in Virginia in 1664 5
  • Tho Yong, who arrived in Virginia in 1665 5
  • Thomas Yong, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1682 5
  • James Yong, who arrived in Leeward Islands in 1695 5
Yong Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • John Yong, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1844 5
  • Robert Yong, who landed in Virginia in 1884 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Yong (post 1700) +

  • Johnny Yong Bosch (b. 1976), American television actor and voice actor
  • Yong Ban (b. 1989), Chinese professional football player


The Yong Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Toujours jeune
Motto Translation: Always young.


  1. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  2. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  3. Worth, R.N., A History of Devonshire London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, E.G., 1895. Digital
  4. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  5. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)


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