2000
#9,723
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,067
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.14
Rare Last name
Jaques
A French occupational surname referring to someone who made or supplied jackets, jerkins, or other short garments.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,559 Americans carry the last name Jaques. That puts it at #9,930 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 96,306 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jaques 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 Jaques with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.6K
1 in 96,306
Census rank
#9,930
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,104 bearers of the surname Jaques in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9930th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jaques, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (16.6%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jaques
Among Census respondents with the surname Jaques, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (16.6%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Jaques 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 Jaques surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.4% · 2,372
- Hispanic or Latino16.6% · 514
- Two or more races3.4% · 105
- Black or African American2.3% · 70
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jaques
Jaques 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
#9,998
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,224
+157 bearers (+5.1%)
Per 100,000 1.09
Rank movement Down 275 places
2020
#9,930
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,104
-120 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 1.04
Rank movement Up 68 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,723 | 3,067 | 1.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,998 | 3,224 | 1.09 | +157 bearers (+5.1%) | Down 275 places |
| 2020 | #9,930 | 3,104 | 1.04 | -120 bearers (-3.7%) | Up 68 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 Jaques 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 | #9,998 | #9,930 | 0.7% |
| Count | 3,224 | 3,104 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.09 | 1.04 | -4.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jaques bearers went from 3,224 to 3,104 (-3.7% change). The surname moved up 68 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,998 to #9,930.
FAQ
Jaques surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jaques?
Name Census estimates that about 3,559 living Americans carry the surname Jaques. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 96,306 residents.
How common is Jaques?
Jaques ranks #9,930 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,104 people with the surname Jaques. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,559), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Jaques.
Has Jaques become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jaques went from 3,224 recorded bearers to 3,104. That is a decrease of 120 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,998 to #9,930.
What does the Census say about the background of Jaques?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jaques, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (16.6%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Jaques in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.4% (2,372 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jaques appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.4%), Hispanic (16.6%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Jaques (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 Jaques mean?
A French occupational surname referring to someone who made or supplied jackets, jerkins, or other short garments. 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 Jaques (1.04 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 Jaques?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Jaques on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.