2000
#134,037
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Jacson
A variant of the surname Jackson, derived from "son of Jack", with Jack being a diminutive of John.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 201 Americans carry the last name Jacson. That puts it at #108,023 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,705,245 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jacson 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
201
1 in 1,705,245
Census rank
#108,023
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
175
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 175 bearers of the surname Jacson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 108023rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jacson, the largest self-reported group is Black at 60.0%. The next largest groups are White (22.9%) and Hispanic (5.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jacson
The surname Jacson is of English origin and can be traced back to the medieval period. It is a patronymic name derived from the personal name "Jack," which was a diminutive form of the name "John." The suffix "-son" means "son of," indicating that the name originally referred to the son of someone named Jack.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Jacson can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which listed a John Jakessone in Oxfordshire. The Jacson spelling is also found in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Returns of 1379, where a William Jakson is mentioned.
The name Jacson is closely associated with the northern counties of England, particularly Lancashire and Yorkshire. It is believed that the name may have originated in these regions, where the use of patronymic surnames was common.
In the 13th century, the name appeared as Jakessone, reflecting the Middle English spelling of the time. As the language evolved, the spelling changed to Jacson, which became the most common form of the name.
Notable historical figures with the surname Jacson include Thomas Jacson (c. 1530-1599), an English clergyman and scholar who served as the Dean of Peterborough Cathedral. Another notable bearer of the name was John Jacson (c. 1600-1646), an English Puritan clergyman and author who was involved in the English Civil War.
In the 17th century, the name Jacson was found in various parts of England, including London, where a Richard Jacson (1605-1677) was a prominent merchant and member of the East India Company. Another bearer of the name was Thomas Jacson (1610-1687), an English Puritan minister who served as the President of Harvard College in the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
In the 18th century, the Jacson surname was associated with the town of Barton-upon-Humber in Lincolnshire, where a family of Jacsons held significant land and influence. One member of this family was William Jacson (1721-1795), a prominent landowner and magistrate in the region.
As the centuries passed, the Jacson name continued to be found throughout England, with various branches of the family establishing themselves in different regions and occupations. While the name has evolved over time, it remains rooted in its English patronymic origins, reflecting the rich history and diversity of English surnames.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jacson
Among Census respondents with the surname Jacson, the largest self-reported group is Black at 60.0%. The next largest groups are White (22.9%) and Hispanic (5.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Jacson 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 Jacson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American60.0% · 105
- White22.9% · 40
- Hispanic or Latino5.7% · 10
- Two or more races5.1% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.0% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.3% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jacson
Jacson 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
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-4 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,216 places
2020
#108,023
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 175
+63 bearers (+56.3%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Up 39,230 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,037 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.4%) | Down 13,216 places |
| 2020 | #108,023 | 175 | 0.06 | +63 bearers (+56.3%) | Up 39,230 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 Jacson 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 | #147,253 | #108,023 | 26.6% |
| Count | 112 | 175 | 56.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.06 | 46.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jacson bearers went from 112 to 175 (+56.3% change). The surname moved up 39,230 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #108,023.
FAQ
Jacson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jacson?
Name Census estimates that about 201 living Americans carry the surname Jacson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,705,245 residents.
How common is Jacson?
Jacson ranks #108,023 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 175 people with the surname Jacson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (201), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Jacson.
Has Jacson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jacson went from 112 recorded bearers to 175. That is an increase of 63 (+56.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #147,253 to #108,023.
What does the Census say about the background of Jacson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jacson, the largest self-reported group is Black at 60.0%. The next largest groups are White (22.9%) and Hispanic (5.7%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Jacson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 60.0% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jacson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (60.0%), White (22.9%), Hispanic (5.7%). 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 Jacson (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 Jacson mean?
A variant of the surname Jackson, derived from "son of Jack", with Jack being a diminutive of John. 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 Jacson (0.06 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 share the surname Jacson?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.