Yee
A surname that most often reflects Chinese naming, especially Cantonese romanization, rather than an English-origin family name.
The #1,740 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 14,994 Americans shares it.
Etymology
As a surname in modern use, Yee is most commonly a romanized Chinese family name, especially from Cantonese spellings such as 余, 楊, or 叶 depending on the family line and romanization tradition. In English-language records, the spelling also overlaps with the old pronoun/verb form "yee/yee" in historical texts, but that is not a surname origin. Because the same spelling can represent different Chinese characters and lineages, its literal source depends on the individual family.
History
In the United States, Yee is found primarily among families of Chinese heritage and became more visible through immigration and English-language record keeping in the 19th and 20th centuries. The surname has several possible Chinese sources, so two unrelated Yee families may not share the same ancestral character. The historical excerpts provided use "yee" as an old plural or polite form of "you," not as a surname entry.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same romanized spelling can point to more than one Chinese surname character, so family history is often needed to determine the original form.
From the historical record
“in one beginning— As yee came from the Holye Land Of Walsingham ... in 'Bp. Percy's Foho MS.' ; and also in 'Gentle Heardsman, tell to me', in the same collection.”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)