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

Jaques, 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 Jaques surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Jaques in America

Jaques is the 9998th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Jaques surname appeared 3,224 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Jaques.

We can also compare 2010 data for Jaques 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 Jaques

The surname Jaques originated in France during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the male given name Jacques, which is the French form of the Latin name Jacobus, meaning "supplanter" or "one who follows." The name Jacobus ultimately traces back to the Hebrew name Ya'akov, anglicized as Jacob.

Jaques was a common surname in northern France, particularly in the regions of Normandy and Picardy. It first appeared in written records as early as the 12th century, with one of the earliest known bearers being Radulphus Jaques, who was mentioned in the Cartulaire de Louviers in Normandy in 1195.

The surname Jaques is also found in various other spellings in ancient documents, including Jakes, Jaqes, Jacquez, and Jaqueys. These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and the inconsistent spelling practices of the time.

One notable historical figure with the surname Jaques was William Jaques, a 14th-century English composer and member of the Chapel Royal of Edward III. He is believed to have been born around 1330 and is known for his contribution to the Ars Nova style of music.

In the 15th century, the Jaques surname appeared in the Paston Letters, a collection of correspondence among members of the affluent Paston family in Norfolk, England. The letters mention a John Jaques who was involved in legal disputes over land ownership.

Another significant bearer of the name was Thomas Jaques, an English Catholic martyr who was executed in 1628 during the reign of King Charles I for his religious beliefs. He was canonized by the Catholic Church in 1970.

In the realm of literature, the surname Jaques is perhaps most famously associated with the melancholy character of the same name in William Shakespeare's play "As You Like It," written around 1599-1600.

Other notable individuals with the surname Jaques include Marie Jaques (1784-1853), a French portrait painter and miniaturist, and Jacques Jaques (1896-1963), a South African cricketer who played Test matches for the national team in the 1920s.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Jaques

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

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 Jaques 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 Jaques 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 Jaques was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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