2000
#3,113
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,661
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.95
Uncommon Last name
Jaimes
A Spanish surname derived from Jaime, the Spanish form of James, meaning "supplanter" or "one who follows."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 18,337 Americans carry the last name Jaimes. That puts it at #2,216 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.35 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 18,692 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jaimes 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
18K
1 in 18,692
Census rank
#2,216
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
16K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 15,991 bearers of the surname Jaimes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.35 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2216th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jaimes, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 96.7%. The next largest groups are White (2.6%) and Black (0.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jaimes
The surname Jaimes is of Spanish origin, derived from the given name Jaime, which is the Spanish form of the name James. The name James itself is derived from the Hebrew name Jacob, meaning "supplanter" or "one who follows."
Jaimes is a patronymic surname, meaning it was originally formed by adding a suffix indicating "son of" to the given name Jaime. This practice of forming surnames from a father's given name was common in Spain and other parts of the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Jaimes can be found in medieval Spanish documents from the 13th and 14th centuries, particularly in regions such as Castile, Aragon, and Andalusia. Some variations in spelling, such as Xaimes or Xaymes, were also used during this time period.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname Jaimes was Pedro Jaimes, a nobleman and military commander who served under King Alfonso X of Castile in the 13th century. He is mentioned in several chronicles from that era for his role in the Reconquista, the centuries-long struggle to drive the Moors out of the Iberian Peninsula.
Another notable figure was Juan Jaimes de Ayala, a Spanish explorer and conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expedition to Mexico in the early 16th century. He is credited with being one of the first Europeans to set foot on the island of Cozumel, off the coast of the Yucatán Peninsula.
In the 17th century, a prominent figure with the surname Jaimes was Diego Jaimes de Mendoza, a Spanish poet and playwright who was part of the literary movement known as the Spanish Golden Age. He was born in 1583 in Madrid and is best known for his plays, which were influential in the development of Spanish theater.
During the 18th century, José Jaimes de Arellano was a Spanish military engineer and architect who oversaw the construction of several important fortifications in the Americas, including the Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine, Florida, which is now a national monument.
In the 19th century, one notable bearer of the surname Jaimes was Mariano Jaimes, a Mexican general and politician who played a significant role in the Mexican-American War of 1846-1848. He was born in 1809 and served as governor of the state of Nuevo León from 1849 to 1853.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jaimes
Among Census respondents with the surname Jaimes, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 96.7%. The next largest groups are White (2.6%) and Black (0.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Jaimes 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 Jaimes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino96.7% · 15,459
- White2.6% · 412
- Black or African American0.3% · 42
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 33
- Two or more races0.2% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jaimes
Jaimes 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
#2,050
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,573
+6,912 bearers (+64.8%)
Per 100,000 5.96
Rank movement Up 1,063 places
2020
#2,216
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,991
-1,582 bearers (-9.0%)
Per 100,000 5.35
Rank movement Down 166 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,113 | 10,661 | 3.95 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,050 | 17,573 | 5.96 | +6,912 bearers (+64.8%) | Up 1,063 places |
| 2020 | #2,216 | 15,991 | 5.35 | -1,582 bearers (-9.0%) | Down 166 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 Jaimes 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 | #2,050 | #2,216 | -8.1% |
| Count | 17,573 | 15,991 | -9.0% |
| Per 100K | 5.96 | 5.35 | -10.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jaimes bearers went from 17,573 to 15,991 (-9.0% change). The surname moved down 166 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,050 to #2,216.
FAQ
Jaimes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jaimes?
Name Census estimates that about 18,337 living Americans carry the surname Jaimes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 18,692 residents.
How common is Jaimes?
Jaimes ranks #2,216 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.35 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 15,991 people with the surname Jaimes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (18,337), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.35 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.35 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 Jaimes.
Has Jaimes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jaimes went from 17,573 recorded bearers to 15,991. That is a decrease of 1,582 (-9.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,050 to #2,216.
What does the Census say about the background of Jaimes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jaimes, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 96.7%. The next largest groups are White (2.6%) and Black (0.3%). 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 Jaimes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.7% (15,459 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jaimes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (96.7%), White (2.6%), Black (0.3%). 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 Jaimes (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 Jaimes mean?
A Spanish surname derived from Jaime, the Spanish form of James, meaning "supplanter" or "one who follows." 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 Jaimes (5.35 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 common is the surname Jaimes?
Find out how many people are called Jaimes on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.