2000
#16,554
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,597
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.59
Rare Last name
Jacome
Derived from the Hebrew name Jacob, meaning "supplanter" or "one who follows on another's heels."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,602 Americans carry the last name Jacome. That puts it at #12,946 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 131,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jacome surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
2.6K
1 in 131,727
Census rank
#12,946
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,269 bearers of the surname Jacome in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12946th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jacome, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.3%. The next largest groups are White (11.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jacome
The surname Jacome is of Portuguese origin, traceable to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the given name Jacome, itself a Portuguese form of the Latin name Jacobus, meaning "supplanter" or "one who follows."
Originally concentrated in northern Portugal, particularly in the regions of Minho and Douro Litoral, the name Jacome gained prominence during the Christian Reconquista of the Iberian Peninsula from the Moors. Early records show variations such as Jacomo, Jacomi, and Jacumen.
One of the earliest documented instances of the surname Jacome appears in the ancient manuscript "Livro Velho de Linhagens" (Old Book of Lineages), which chronicles Portuguese nobility from the 12th to the 14th centuries. The text mentions a nobleman named Martim Jacome, who lived during the reign of King Afonso III (1248-1279).
In the 15th century, the name Jacome gained further recognition with the birth of Jorge Jacome (1460-1522), a renowned Portuguese explorer and navigator who accompanied Vasco da Gama on his historic voyage to India in 1498. Jorge Jacome played a crucial role in establishing Portuguese trade routes in the Indian Ocean.
Another notable figure was Pedro Jacome (1570-1638), a Portuguese architect and engineer who designed several churches and fortifications in Goa, India, during the height of the Portuguese colonial era. His work, including the Basilica of Bom Jesus and the Se Cathedral, is a testament to the influence of Portuguese architecture in the region.
In the 18th century, Manuel Jacome (1705-1782) gained prominence as a highly skilled goldsmith and silversmith, renowned for his intricate and ornate creations. His works, often commissioned by the Portuguese nobility, can be found in various museums and private collections.
Moving into the 19th century, João Jacome (1820-1892) was a prominent Portuguese politician and writer, known for his advocacy of liberal ideals and his literary works, including the novel "A Filha do Regedor" (The Governor's Daughter), which portrays the struggles of the Portuguese bourgeoisie during the liberal revolutions of the 19th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jacome
Among Census respondents with the surname Jacome, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.3%. The next largest groups are White (11.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Jacome bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Jacome surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino87.3% · 1,980
- White11.2% · 253
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 10
- Black or African American0.4% · 9
- Two or more races0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jacome
Jacome appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#13,214
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,313
+716 bearers (+44.8%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Up 3,340 places
2020
#12,946
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,269
-44 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Up 268 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,554 | 1,597 | 0.59 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,214 | 2,313 | 0.78 | +716 bearers (+44.8%) | Up 3,340 places |
| 2020 | #12,946 | 2,269 | 0.76 | -44 bearers (-1.9%) | Up 268 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Jacome surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #13,214 | #12,946 | 2.0% |
| Count | 2,313 | 2,269 | -1.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.78 | 0.76 | -2.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jacome bearers went from 2,313 to 2,269 (-1.9% change). The surname moved up 268 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,214 to #12,946.
FAQ
Jacome surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jacome?
Name Census estimates that about 2,602 living Americans carry the surname Jacome. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 131,727 residents.
How common is Jacome?
Jacome ranks #12,946 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.76 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,269 people with the surname Jacome. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,602), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.76 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Jacome.
Has Jacome become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jacome went from 2,313 recorded bearers to 2,269. That is a decrease of 44 (-1.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,214 to #12,946.
What does the Census say about the background of Jacome?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jacome, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.3%. The next largest groups are White (11.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.4%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Jacome in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.3% (1,980 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jacome appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (87.3%), White (11.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.4%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Jacome (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Jacome mean?
Derived from the Hebrew name Jacob, meaning "supplanter" or "one who follows on another's heels." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Jacome (0.76 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Jacome?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Jacome at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.