Show ContentsYonker History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

  • Origins Available:
  • Netherlands
Yonker Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Etymology of Yonker

What does the name Yonker mean?

The distinguished name Yonker is derived from the Middle Dutch word "jonhheer", from "jong(h)" meaning "young" and "heer" meaning "master, lord". Thus the name can literally be translated as "young master", a term used of a member of the European nobility who had not yet assumed knighthood. More recently in South Africa, the name is frequently seen as a forename.

The surname Yonker and its variants are generally believed to be of nickname origin

Early Origins of the Yonker family

The surname Yonker was first found in various regions of the Netherlands with the earliest record of this surname or a variant dating back to the thirteenth century when Berthold and Burchard dicti Junkerer were citizens of Uberlingen in 1295. In 1373, Niclaus Junkherr was a citizen of Fussen.

Jonker Walk, located in the Chinatown area in Malacca City in the state of Malacca, Malaysia dates back to colonial times in the in the 17th century when Dutch influence in the are was at its zenith. The Jonker diamond was found at the Elandsfontein mine in South Africa by Johannes Jacobus Jonker on 17 January 1934.

Early History of the Yonker family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Yonker research. Another 56 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1295, 1373, 1618, 1641, 1655 and 1797 are included under the topic Early Yonker History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Yonker Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Jonker, Jonkers, Yonkers, Younker, Younkers, Junker and many more.

Early Notables of the Yonker family

  • Adriaen Cornelissen van der Donck (c.1618-1655) was a Dutch lawyer, born in the town of Breda in the southern Netherlands. He emigrated to New Amsterdam (now New York) in 1641 becoming a lawyer and la...

Yonker Ranking

In the United States, the name Yonker is the 13,601st most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Yonker migration to the United States +



Yonker Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Ah Yonker, aged 36, Dutch settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Rotterdam" in 1876 2
  • Janna Yonker, aged 24, Dutch settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Rotterdam" in 1876 2
  • Andrie Yonker, aged 8, Dutch settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "P. Caland" in 1880 2
  • Gerrit Yonker, aged 35, Dutch settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "W. A. Scholten" in 1882 2
  • Albert Yonker, aged 3, Dutch settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "W. A. Scholten" in 1882 2
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Yonker (post 1700) +

  • Ken Yonker, American Republican politician, Member of Michigan State House of Representatives 72nd District; Elected 2012 3
  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. Ellis Island Search retrieved 21st October 2021. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result
  3. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 8) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html

Houseofnames.com on Facebook