2000
#39,052
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 531
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.20
Very Rare Last name
Jago
An English surname derived from the male given name Jacob.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 605 Americans carry the last name Jago. That puts it at #43,946 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.18 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 566,536 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jago 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 Jago with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
605
1 in 566,536
Census rank
#43,946
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
528
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 528 bearers of the surname Jago in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.18 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 43946th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jago, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%) and Black (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jago
The surname JAGO originated in Spain during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Spanish word 'jaco', which means a small horse or pony. The name likely referred to someone who worked with or bred these animals.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name JAGO can be found in the Catalonian region of Spain, where it appeared in documents dating back to the 13th century. It is believed that the name may have initially been a nickname or occupation descriptor before becoming a hereditary surname.
In the 14th century, the name JAGO began to spread beyond Spain, appearing in records in Portugal and parts of southern France. It is possible that the migration of the name was facilitated by the movement of traders and merchants during this period.
One notable early bearer of the surname JAGO was Rodrigo Jago, a Spanish explorer who was part of the expedition led by Christopher Columbus to the Americas in 1492. Rodrigo Jago's name appears in the ship's logs from this historic voyage.
In the 16th century, the name JAGO can be found in records from England, likely brought over by Spanish or Portuguese immigrants. One of the earliest English bearers of the name was John Jago, a merchant who lived in London in the 1550s.
Another prominent individual with the surname JAGO was Richard Jago, an English poet and clergyman who lived from 1715 to 1781. He is best known for his poem "Edge Hill," which recounts the Battle of Edge Hill during the English Civil War.
In the 19th century, the name JAGO gained some notoriety through the works of Richard Dadd, an English painter who was born in 1817. Dadd is famous for his intricate and imaginative paintings, many of which were created while he was confined to a psychiatric hospital after being found criminally insane.
Other notable bearers of the surname JAGO include Manuel Jago, a Spanish painter born in 1828, and Ambrose Jago, an English cricketer who played for Middlesex County Cricket Club in the late 19th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jago
Among Census respondents with the surname Jago, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%) and Black (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Jago 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 Jago surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.5% · 446
- Two or more races5.1% · 27
- Black or African American4.9% · 26
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.1% · 11
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jago
Jago 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
#43,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 496
-35 bearers (-6.6%)
Per 100,000 0.17
Rank movement Down 4,459 places
2020
#43,946
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 528
+32 bearers (+6.5%)
Per 100,000 0.18
Rank movement Down 435 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #39,052 | 531 | 0.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #43,511 | 496 | 0.17 | -35 bearers (-6.6%) | Down 4,459 places |
| 2020 | #43,946 | 528 | 0.18 | +32 bearers (+6.5%) | Down 435 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 Jago 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 | #43,511 | #43,946 | -1.0% |
| Count | 496 | 528 | 6.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.17 | 0.18 | 3.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jago bearers went from 496 to 528 (+6.5% change). The surname moved down 435 positions in the national ranking, going from #43,511 to #43,946.
FAQ
Jago surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jago?
Name Census estimates that about 605 living Americans carry the surname Jago. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 566,536 residents.
How common is Jago?
Jago ranks #43,946 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.18 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 528 people with the surname Jago. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (605), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.18 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.18 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 Jago.
Has Jago become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jago went from 496 recorded bearers to 528. That is an increase of 32 (+6.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #43,511 to #43,946.
What does the Census say about the background of Jago?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jago, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%) and Black (4.9%). 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 Jago in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.5% (446 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jago appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.5%), Two or More Races (5.1%), Black (4.9%). 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 Jago (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 Jago mean?
An English surname derived from the male given name Jacob. 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 Jago (0.18 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 Jago?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Jago on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.