Find out how popular the last name Japhet is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Japhet.

Japhet, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Japhet surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Japhet in America

Japhet is the 73464th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Japhet surname appeared 264 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Japhet.

We can also compare 2010 data for Japhet to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Japhet

The surname Japhet has its origins in ancient Hebrew, derived from the biblical name Japheth, one of the three sons of Noah in the Book of Genesis. The name Japheth is believed to come from the Hebrew word "yapht," meaning "to enlarge" or "to make wide." This biblical association suggests that the surname Japhet may have been adopted by early Jewish families or those who converted to Judaism.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Japhet can be traced back to medieval Europe, particularly in regions with significant Jewish populations such as Spain, France, and Germany. In these areas, the name was often spelled with variations like Japhet, Jaffet, or Jaffit, reflecting the linguistic and cultural influences of the time.

One notable historical figure bearing the surname Japhet was Rabbi Shlomo ben Yitzchak (c. 1040-1105), also known as Rashi, a renowned French rabbi and scholar who produced influential commentaries on the Torah and the Talmud. His full name, including the surname Japhet, is recorded in several medieval manuscripts and rabbinical texts.

Another early bearer of the name was Don Isaac Japhet, a prominent Jewish scholar and diplomat who served as the chief representative of the Jewish community in Aragon, Spain, during the 13th century. His name appears in various historical records and chronicles from that period.

In England, one of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Japhet can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from the 13th century, which mention a "Simon Japhet" as a landowner in the region.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Japhet was also present in parts of Central and Eastern Europe, particularly in areas with significant Jewish communities. For example, Moses ben Mordecai Japhet (c. 1545-1612), a renowned rabbi and Talmudic scholar from Prague, bore this surname.

As Jewish communities migrated and settled in different parts of the world, the surname Japhet likely spread and adapted to local spellings and pronunciations. However, its biblical origins and association with the name Japheth have remained a consistent thread throughout its history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Japhet

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Japhet.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Japhet was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Japhet has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Japhet was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Japhet, please contact us.

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