2000
#14,164
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,946
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.72
Rare Last name
Jarrard
An old French surname derived from a medieval nickname meaning "herald" or "messenger".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,117 Americans carry the last name Jarrard. That puts it at #15,307 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 161,906 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jarrard 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 Jarrard with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 161,906
Census rank
#15,307
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,846 bearers of the surname Jarrard in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15307th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jarrard, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jarrard
The surname Jarrard has its origins in the northwestern region of France, particularly in the provinces of Normandy and Brittany. It is believed to have emerged in the 11th or 12th century as a locational surname, derived from the Old French word "jarre," meaning a clay jar or pot. This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived near a pottery or worked as a potter.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land and property completed in 1086 on the orders of William the Conqueror. The entry "Jarrard" appears in relation to a landowner in the county of Hampshire, England.
In the 13th century, the name appears in various forms, such as "Jarrard" and "Jarrat," in historical records from the region of Normandy. This includes mentions in the Cartulaire de Louviers, a collection of medieval charters and documents from the Louviers Abbey.
One notable individual with the surname Jarrard was Sir John Jarrard, a 14th-century English knight who served under Edward III during the Hundred Years' War. He was born in Gloucestershire around 1320 and participated in several battles, including the Battle of Crécy in 1346.
Another early bearer of the name was Guillaume Jarrard, a French merchant and trader who lived in the 15th century. He was involved in the lucrative wool trade between France and England and is mentioned in various commercial records from that period.
In the 16th century, the Jarrard family established themselves in the county of Somerset, England. One member, Robert Jarrard (1540-1612), was a prominent landowner and served as a Justice of the Peace for the county.
During the 17th century, the name appears to have spread to other parts of Europe, including Germany and the Netherlands. Johannes Jarrard (1625-1698) was a Dutch painter and engraver known for his landscapes and religious works.
In the 18th century, the Jarrard family had a presence in North America. William Jarrard (1720-1796) was a colonial settler who arrived in Virginia from England and later fought in the American Revolutionary War.
Throughout history, the surname Jarrard has been subject to various spellings, including Jarrat, Jarratt, Jarrett, and Jarrod. While the name has French origins, it has been adopted and adapted by families in various countries over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jarrard
Among Census respondents with the surname Jarrard, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Jarrard 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 Jarrard surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.6% · 1,672
- Two or more races4.2% · 77
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 57
- Black or African American0.9% · 16
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jarrard
Jarrard 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
#15,508
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,887
-59 bearers (-3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Down 1,344 places
2020
#15,307
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,846
-41 bearers (-2.2%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Up 201 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,164 | 1,946 | 0.72 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,508 | 1,887 | 0.64 | -59 bearers (-3.0%) | Down 1,344 places |
| 2020 | #15,307 | 1,846 | 0.62 | -41 bearers (-2.2%) | Up 201 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 Jarrard 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 | #15,508 | #15,307 | 1.3% |
| Count | 1,887 | 1,846 | -2.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.64 | 0.62 | -3.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jarrard bearers went from 1,887 to 1,846 (-2.2% change). The surname moved up 201 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,508 to #15,307.
FAQ
Jarrard surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jarrard?
Name Census estimates that about 2,117 living Americans carry the surname Jarrard. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 161,906 residents.
How common is Jarrard?
Jarrard ranks #15,307 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.62 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 1,846 people with the surname Jarrard. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.62 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 Jarrard.
Has Jarrard become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jarrard went from 1,887 recorded bearers to 1,846. That is a decrease of 41 (-2.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,508 to #15,307.
What does the Census say about the background of Jarrard?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jarrard, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Jarrard in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.6% (1,672 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jarrard appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.6%), Two or More Races (4.2%), Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Jarrard (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 Jarrard mean?
An old French surname derived from a medieval nickname meaning "herald" or "messenger". 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 Jarrard (0.62 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 Jarrard?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.