Young (surname)

In some instances—particularly in England, Northern Ireland, and Scotland—the surname derives from the Middle English yunge or yonge ("young").

This form of the surname often originated to differentiate a younger son from other family members.

Additionally, it could be an anglicized version of Ó Maoláin, as Irish immigrants frequently had their names modified to be more accessible to English speakers.

Examples include the German Jung and Junk, the Dutch Jong, the Swedish Ljung, and the French Lejeune and Lajeunesse.

In some cases, Young is a romanization of the Chinese surname Yang (杨; 楊).