Find out how popular the last name Jackson is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Jackson.

Jackson, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Jackson surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Jackson in America

Jackson is the 19th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Jackson surname appeared 708,099 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 240 people would have the surname Jackson.

We can also compare 2010 data for Jackson to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Jackson

The surname Jackson originated in England, deriving from the given name 'Jack', a diminutive form of 'John'. The suffix '-son' indicates 'son of', thus Jackson means 'son of Jack'. The earliest recorded instance of the name dates back to the late 12th century in Yorkshire, England.

The name Jackson is believed to have first appeared in the Domesday Book of 1086, a manuscript record of a great survey commissioned by William the Conqueror. This suggests the name's roots can be traced back to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066.

In the 13th century, the name was recorded as 'Jakesone' and 'Jakeson' in various medieval records. Over time, the spelling evolved to its modern form of 'Jackson'. Some variations include 'Jaxon', 'Jacson', and 'Jakkeson'.

Notable individuals with the surname Jackson include Andrew Jackson (1767-1845), the 7th President of the United States, and Michael Jackson (1958-2009), the iconic American singer and entertainer. Other famous Jacksons include Glenda Jackson (born 1936), the British actress and former politician, and Samuel L. Jackson (born 1948), the acclaimed American actor.

The name Jackson is also associated with various place names in England, such as Jackson's Bank in Yorkshire and Jackson's Croft in Northumberland. These place names likely derived from individuals with the surname Jackson who once lived or owned land in those areas.

One of the earliest recorded Jacksons was Richard Jackson, born in 1367 in Yorkshire, England. Another notable figure was John Jackson (1686-1763), an English writer and theologian who authored several religious works during the 18th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Jackson

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Jackson.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Jackson was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Jackson has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Jackson was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Jackson, please contact us.

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