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

Jacques, 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 Jacques surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Jacques in America

Jacques is the 2512th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Jacques surname appeared 14,417 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 5 people would have the surname Jacques.

We can also compare 2010 data for Jacques 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 Jacques

The surname Jacques originated in France and is of French origin. It derives from the given name Jacques, which ultimately comes from the late Latin name Jacobus, a variation of the Biblical name Jacob.

Jacques was one of the most common French surnames during the Middle Ages and Renaissance periods. Records suggest it was widespread across northern France, particularly in regions like Normandy, Île-de-France, and Picardy.

The earliest known recorded instance of the surname Jacques dates back to the 12th century. It appears in the Cartulaire de l'abbaye de Saint-Père de Chartres, a medieval manuscript from the Abbey of Saint-Père in Chartres.

Another notable early reference is in the Domesday Book of 1086, where the name is listed as "Jacobus" in the form of a given name. This suggests the surname Jacques likely emerged as a hereditary name in the following centuries.

One of the earliest known bearers of the surname Jacques was Philippe Jacques, a 13th-century French trouvère and composer of chansons and lyrical poems. He was active during the reign of King Louis IX of France (1226-1270).

In the 14th century, the name appears in the works of the French writer and philosopher Jean de Meun, best known for his contribution to the famous medieval dream-vision poem, the Roman de la Rose.

During the Renaissance, a prominent bearer of the surname was the French sculptor and architect Jacques Androuet du Cerceau (c. 1510-1584), known for his influential architectural treatises and designs in the French Renaissance style.

Another notable figure was the French philosopher and mathematician René Descartes (1596-1650), whose mother's maiden name was Jacques. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential thinkers of the modern era.

In the 18th century, the French Enlightenment writer and philosopher Denis Diderot (1713-1784) bore the surname Jacques, although he is better known by his patronymic surname Diderot.

Throughout history, the surname Jacques has been associated with various place names and locations in France, such as Jacques-sur-Darnétail, Jacques-de-la-Lande, and Jacques-du-Tilleul.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Jacques

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

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 Jacques 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 Jacques 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 Jacques was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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