2000
#122,534
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 130
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Jammes
A French surname possibly derived from the given name Jacques.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Jammes. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jammes 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Jammes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jammes, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jammes
The surname Jammes is of French origin, derived from the medieval French personal name Jacques, which itself comes from the Latin name Jacobus, meaning "supplanter" or "heel-catcher". The name Jammes emerged as a patronymic, indicating "son of Jacques".
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Jammes can be traced back to the 12th century in the Languedoc region of southern France. The name was particularly prevalent in the areas around the cities of Toulouse and Montpellier, where it appeared in various medieval documents and records.
One notable early mention of the surname Jammes is found in a 13th-century manuscript from the Abbey of Grandselve, near Toulouse, which refers to a certain Guilhem Jammes, a local landowner and benefactor of the abbey.
In the 14th century, the name Jammes appears in the records of the city of Montpellier, where a family by that name held various civic positions and owned properties within the city walls. One member, Pierre Jammes (c. 1320-1387), was a prominent merchant and served as a councilor in the city government.
During the Renaissance period, the name Jammes gained further recognition with the birth of Francis Jammes (1868-1938), a renowned French poet and writer from the Occitan region. His poetry celebrated the beauty of the rural landscape and the simple pleasures of country life.
Another notable figure with the surname Jammes was André Jammes (1903-1974), a French artist and illustrator known for his woodcut prints and book illustrations. His works often depicted scenes from rural life and mythology.
In the 19th century, the name Jammes was associated with the French philosopher and theologian, Pierre-Joseph Jammes (1815-1884), who wrote extensively on the relationship between faith and reason.
While the surname Jammes has its roots in southern France, it has since spread to other parts of the country and beyond, with descendants of these early Jammes families establishing themselves in various regions over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jammes
Among Census respondents with the surname Jammes, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Jammes 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 Jammes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 98
- Two or more races4.6% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jammes
Jammes 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
#135,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
-6 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,059 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-16 bearers (-12.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,342 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #122,534 | 130 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #135,593 | 124 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 13,059 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -16 bearers (-12.9%) | Down 15,342 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 Jammes 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 | #135,593 | #150,935 | -11.3% |
| Count | 124 | 108 | -12.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jammes bearers went from 124 to 108 (-12.9% change). The surname moved down 15,342 positions in the national ranking, going from #135,593 to #150,935.
FAQ
Jammes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jammes?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Jammes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Jammes?
Jammes ranks #150,935 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 108 people with the surname Jammes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), 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 Jammes.
Has Jammes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jammes went from 124 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 16 (-12.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #135,593 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Jammes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jammes, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Jammes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jammes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Two or More Races (4.6%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Jammes (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 Jammes mean?
A French surname possibly derived from the given name Jacques. 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 Jammes (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 common is the surname Jammes?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Jammes on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.