2000
#2,572
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,942
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.80
Uncommon Last name
Jacques
A French occupational surname referring to someone who made jackets or jerseys, derived from the Old French "jaque."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 16,436 Americans carry the last name Jacques. That puts it at #2,459 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.80 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 20,854 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jacques 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Jacques with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
16K
1 in 20,854
Census rank
#2,459
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
14K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 14,333 bearers of the surname Jacques in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.80 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2459th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jacques, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.0%. The next largest groups are Black (27.9%) and Hispanic (9.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jacques
Among Census respondents with the surname Jacques, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.0%. The next largest groups are Black (27.9%) and Hispanic (9.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Jacques 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 Jacques surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White58.0% · 8,306
- Black or African American27.9% · 3,999
- Hispanic or Latino9.6% · 1,378
- Two or more races3.5% · 501
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 115
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 34
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jacques
Jacques 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
#2,512
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,417
+1,475 bearers (+11.4%)
Per 100,000 4.89
Rank movement Up 60 places
2020
#2,459
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,333
-84 bearers (-0.6%)
Per 100,000 4.80
Rank movement Up 53 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,572 | 12,942 | 4.80 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,512 | 14,417 | 4.89 | +1,475 bearers (+11.4%) | Up 60 places |
| 2020 | #2,459 | 14,333 | 4.80 | -84 bearers (-0.6%) | Up 53 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 Jacques 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 | #2,512 | #2,459 | 2.1% |
| Count | 14,417 | 14,333 | -0.6% |
| Per 100K | 4.89 | 4.80 | -1.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jacques bearers went from 14,417 to 14,333 (-0.6% change). The surname moved up 53 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,512 to #2,459.
FAQ
Jacques surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jacques?
Name Census estimates that about 16,436 living Americans carry the surname Jacques. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 20,854 residents.
How common is Jacques?
Jacques ranks #2,459 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.80 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 14,333 people with the surname Jacques. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (16,436), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.80 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Jacques.
Has Jacques become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jacques went from 14,417 recorded bearers to 14,333. That is a decrease of 84 (-0.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,512 to #2,459.
What does the Census say about the background of Jacques?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jacques, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.0%. The next largest groups are Black (27.9%) and Hispanic (9.6%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Jacques in the 2020 Census, accounting for 58.0% (8,306 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jacques appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (58.0%), Black (27.9%), Hispanic (9.6%). 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 Jacques (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 Jacques mean?
A French occupational surname referring to someone who made jackets or jerseys, derived from the Old French "jaque." 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 Jacques (4.80 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 Americans have the surname Jacques?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.