2010
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Jajoo
A surname derived from the Sanskrit word 'jajja' meaning head priest or leader of a group.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 183 Americans carry the last name Jajoo. That puts it at #115,686 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,872,975 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jajoo 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
183
1 in 1,872,975
Census rank
#115,686
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
160
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 160 bearers of the surname Jajoo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 115686th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jajoo, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 87.5%. The next largest groups are White (8.8%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jajoo
The surname JAJOO is believed to have originated in the Indian state of Rajasthan, where it was first recorded in the 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the Sanskrit word "jajja," which means "father's elder brother" or "paternal uncle." This suggests that the name may have initially been used to identify individuals who were members of a particular clan or family group.
In the early days, the JAJOO name was primarily concentrated in the western regions of Rajasthan, particularly in the areas around the cities of Jodhpur and Jaisalmer. Over time, however, members of the JAJOO community began to migrate to other parts of India, as well as to neighboring countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh.
One of the earliest known references to the JAJOO name can be found in a historical manuscript from the late 17th century, which mentions a prominent trader named Jajoo Ram who was involved in the spice trade between India and the Middle East. Another notable figure from this period was Jajoo Singh, a military commander who served under the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb in the late 1600s.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the JAJOO name continued to gain prominence, with several individuals making significant contributions in various fields. One such person was Jajoo Mal, a renowned scholar and poet who lived in the city of Jaipur in the late 18th century. Another notable figure was Jajoo Lal, a prominent businessman and philanthropist who established several educational institutions in the city of Jodhpur in the mid-19th century.
In more recent times, the JAJOO name has been associated with several accomplished individuals, including Jajoo Narayan Das, a renowned mathematician and educator who made significant contributions to the field of algebraic geometry in the early 20th century. Another notable JAJOO was Jajoo Hari Singh, a celebrated writer and journalist who played a key role in the Indian independence movement in the 1930s and 1940s.
Overall, the surname JAJOO has a rich history that spans several centuries and is deeply rooted in the cultural traditions of the Indian subcontinent. While the name has evolved over time and has been adopted by individuals from various backgrounds, its origins can be traced back to the ancient Sanskrit language and the vibrant cultural heritage of the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jajoo
Among Census respondents with the surname Jajoo, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 87.5%. The next largest groups are White (8.8%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Jajoo 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 Jajoo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander87.5% · 140
- White8.8% · 14
- Two or more races2.5% · 4
- Black or African American0.6% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jajoo
Jajoo appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#115,686
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 160
+43 bearers (+36.8%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 26,422 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #115,686 | 160 | 0.05 | +43 bearers (+36.8%) | Up 26,422 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 Jajoo 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 | #142,108 | #115,686 | 18.6% |
| Count | 117 | 160 | 36.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.05 | 33.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jajoo bearers went from 117 to 160 (+36.8% change). The surname moved up 26,422 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #115,686.
FAQ
Jajoo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jajoo?
Name Census estimates that about 183 living Americans carry the surname Jajoo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,872,975 residents.
How common is Jajoo?
Jajoo ranks #115,686 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 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 160 people with the surname Jajoo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (183), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 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 Jajoo.
Has Jajoo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jajoo went from 117 recorded bearers to 160. That is an increase of 43 (+36.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #142,108 to #115,686.
What does the Census say about the background of Jajoo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jajoo, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 87.5%. The next largest groups are White (8.8%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Jajoo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.5% (140 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jajoo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (87.5%), White (8.8%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Jajoo (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 Jajoo mean?
A surname derived from the Sanskrit word 'jajja' meaning head priest or leader of a group. 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 Jajoo (0.05 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 Jajoo?
See how common the surname Jajoo is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.