2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Jamis
A variant spelling of the Arabic surname Jamous, potentially related to the word "jamis" meaning a pearl or jewel.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Jamis. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jamis 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Jamis in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jamis, the largest self-reported group is White at 54.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (26.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (12.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jamis
The surname JAMIS originates from England, with the earliest records dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "gamen," meaning "game" or "sport," and "hus," meaning "house." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a place where games or entertainment took place.
During the medieval period, the name JAMIS was primarily concentrated in the counties of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. It can be found in various historical documents, including the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from the late 12th century, which mention a landowner by the name of William Jamis.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name JAMIS was Sir John Jamis, a knight who fought in the Battle of Agincourt in 1415. His descendants continued to use the surname, with some variations in spelling, such as Jamys and Jamyes.
In the 16th century, the name JAMIS appeared in the records of the manor of Haxey in Lincolnshire, where a family by that name held land and property. One notable member was Thomas JAMIS (c. 1520-1595), who served as a magistrate and was responsible for the construction of a local bridge.
The JAMIS surname can also be traced to the village of Jameston, located in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is believed that some families with the name JAMIS may have originated from this area before migrating to England.
Another notable figure in history was Sir Robert JAMIS (1598-1672), a wealthy merchant and landowner from Yorkshire. He was instrumental in the establishment of a grammar school in his hometown and left a significant endowment for its maintenance.
As the centuries passed, the JAMIS surname spread across various regions of England, with some families establishing themselves in London and other major cities. In the 18th century, a prominent literary figure named Elizabeth JAMIS (1734-1811) gained recognition for her poetry and essays.
Throughout the 19th century, several individuals with the JAMIS surname made significant contributions in various fields. One such person was William JAMIS (1822-1892), a pioneering engineer who played a crucial role in the construction of several railway lines across Britain.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jamis
Among Census respondents with the surname Jamis, the largest self-reported group is White at 54.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (26.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (12.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Jamis 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 Jamis surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White54.6% · 65
- Hispanic or Latino26.1% · 31
- Asian and Pacific Islander12.6% · 15
- Black or African American3.4% · 4
- Two or more races3.4% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jamis
Jamis 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
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-9 bearers (-7.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 19,070 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+14 bearers (+13.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 12,119 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.9%) | Down 19,070 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | +14 bearers (+13.3%) | Up 12,119 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 Jamis 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 | #154,907 | #142,788 | 7.8% |
| Count | 105 | 119 | 13.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jamis bearers went from 105 to 119 (+13.3% change). The surname moved up 12,119 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #142,788.
FAQ
Jamis surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jamis?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Jamis. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Jamis?
Jamis ranks #142,788 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 119 people with the surname Jamis. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Jamis.
Has Jamis become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jamis went from 105 recorded bearers to 119. That is an increase of 14 (+13.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Jamis?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jamis, the largest self-reported group is White at 54.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (26.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (12.6%). 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 Jamis in the 2020 Census, accounting for 54.6% (65 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jamis appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (54.6%), Hispanic (26.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (12.6%). 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 Jamis (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 Jamis mean?
A variant spelling of the Arabic surname Jamous, potentially related to the word "jamis" meaning a pearl or jewel. 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 Jamis (0.04 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 Jamis?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.