2000
#4,546
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,164
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.66
Rare Last name
Jamieson
Son of James, an English patronymic surname derived from the given name James.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,262 Americans carry the last name Jamieson. That puts it at #4,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.41 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 41,486 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jamieson 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 Jamieson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.3K
1 in 41,486
Census rank
#4,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,205 bearers of the surname Jamieson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.41 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jamieson, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.4%. The next largest groups are Black (6.4%) and Hispanic (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jamieson
The surname Jamieson originated in Scotland and is a patronymic name derived from the personal name James. It is believed to have emerged in the 12th century, with the earliest known spelling being "Jamesson" or "Jameson."
In the early medieval period, the name was prevalent in the Scottish Lowlands, particularly in the regions of Lanarkshire and Renfrewshire. It is thought to have derived from the Gaelic form "Seumas," which was anglicized to "James."
The name Jamieson is found in several historical records, including the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which list persons who swore fealty to King Edward I of England. One such entry mentions "William Jamesone del counte de Lanark."
The Domesday Book, a great survey of England and Wales commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain the surname Jamieson, as it predates the widespread use of hereditary surnames in Scotland.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is Robert Jamesone (c. 1570–1644), a prominent Scottish portrait painter who was nicknamed the "Scottish Vandyck." He was born in Aberdeen and is renowned for his portraits of Scottish noblemen and clergymen.
Another notable figure is George Jamesone (1589–1644), a Scottish scholar and theologian who served as the rector of the University of St Andrews. He was a prolific writer and published several works on theology and philosophy.
In the 18th century, John Jamieson (1759–1838) was a Scottish lexicographer and philologist who compiled the "Etymological Dictionary of the Scottish Language," a pioneering work on the Scots language and its origins.
Robert Jamieson (1802–1880) was a Scottish minister and biblical scholar who co-authored the "Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary," a widely used reference work on the Bible.
In the literary world, John Jamieson (1828–1905) was a Scottish poet and author who wrote under the pen name "Hugh Haliburton." He is best known for his collection of poems titled "Lays of the Lowlands."
The surname Jamieson has also been associated with various places in Scotland, such as Jamiesonton in East Ayrshire and Jameston in Renfrewshire, which may have derived their names from early settlers with the Jamieson surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jamieson
Among Census respondents with the surname Jamieson, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.4%. The next largest groups are Black (6.4%) and Hispanic (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Jamieson 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 Jamieson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.4% · 6,012
- Black or African American6.4% · 459
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 322
- Two or more races3.6% · 262
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 79
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 71
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jamieson
Jamieson 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
#4,812
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,338
+174 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 2.49
Rank movement Down 266 places
2020
#4,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,205
-133 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 2.41
Rank movement Up 55 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,546 | 7,164 | 2.66 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,812 | 7,338 | 2.49 | +174 bearers (+2.4%) | Down 266 places |
| 2020 | #4,757 | 7,205 | 2.41 | -133 bearers (-1.8%) | Up 55 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 Jamieson 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 | #4,812 | #4,757 | 1.1% |
| Count | 7,338 | 7,205 | -1.8% |
| Per 100K | 2.49 | 2.41 | -3.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jamieson bearers went from 7,338 to 7,205 (-1.8% change). The surname moved up 55 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,812 to #4,757.
FAQ
Jamieson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jamieson?
Name Census estimates that about 8,262 living Americans carry the surname Jamieson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 41,486 residents.
How common is Jamieson?
Jamieson ranks #4,757 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.41 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,205 people with the surname Jamieson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,262), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.41 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.41 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Jamieson.
Has Jamieson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jamieson went from 7,338 recorded bearers to 7,205. That is a decrease of 133 (-1.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,812 to #4,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Jamieson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jamieson, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.4%. The next largest groups are Black (6.4%) and Hispanic (4.5%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Jamieson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.4% (6,012 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jamieson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.4%), Black (6.4%), Hispanic (4.5%). 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 Jamieson (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 Jamieson mean?
Son of James, an English patronymic surname derived from the given name James. 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 Jamieson (2.41 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 Jamieson?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.