2000
#2,504
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,224
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.90
Uncommon Last name
Jarrell
A derivation of the French surname Jarel, referring to someone who came from Jarel, Normandy.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 14,784 Americans carry the last name Jarrell. That puts it at #2,728 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.31 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 23,184 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jarrell 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
15K
1 in 23,184
Census rank
#2,728
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,892 bearers of the surname Jarrell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.31 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2728th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jarrell, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.1%. The next largest groups are Black (7.6%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jarrell
The surname Jarrell is believed to have originated in England, specifically in the region of Derbyshire, during the late medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "gar" meaning "spear" and "hyll" meaning "hill." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a hill where spears were made or used for hunting or warfare.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Jarrell can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land and property conducted in 1086 under the orders of William the Conqueror. The entry mentions a landowner named Gervase de Jargehull, which is believed to be an early spelling variation of the modern Jarrell surname.
In the 13th century, the name appears in various records as Jarhull, Jarehull, and Jarghull, reflecting the evolution of spelling and pronunciation over time. During this period, the name was primarily concentrated in the counties of Derbyshire, Staffordshire, and Cheshire.
One notable historical figure with the surname Jarrell was Sir Thomas Jarrell, a English knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War against France in the late 14th century. He was born around 1350 and died in 1415.
In the 16th century, the name appears in the parish records of Leek, Staffordshire, with the spelling Jarrell being more commonly used. One example is John Jarrell, born in 1542, who was a prominent landowner in the area.
As the Jarrell family spread across England, the name also appeared in various place names, such as Jarrell's Coppice in Derbyshire and Jarrell's Hill in Staffordshire. These place names likely derived from the presence of Jarrell families in those locations.
Another notable figure was Richard Jarrell, a Puritan minister born in 1617 in Staffordshire. He emigrated to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in the 1630s and played a significant role in the early religious life of New England.
In the 18th century, William Jarrell, born in 1732 in Cheshire, was a renowned clockmaker whose timepieces were highly sought after by the gentry and aristocracy of the time.
As the centuries passed, the Jarrell surname continued to be found throughout various regions of England, with families occasionally migrating to other parts of the British Isles and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jarrell
Among Census respondents with the surname Jarrell, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.1%. The next largest groups are Black (7.6%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Jarrell 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 Jarrell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.1% · 10,973
- Black or African American7.6% · 978
- Two or more races4.2% · 537
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 288
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 86
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 30
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jarrell
Jarrell 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
#2,660
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,562
+338 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 4.60
Rank movement Down 156 places
2020
#2,728
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,892
-670 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 4.31
Rank movement Down 68 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,504 | 13,224 | 4.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,660 | 13,562 | 4.60 | +338 bearers (+2.6%) | Down 156 places |
| 2020 | #2,728 | 12,892 | 4.31 | -670 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 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 Jarrell 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 | #2,660 | #2,728 | -2.6% |
| Count | 13,562 | 12,892 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 4.60 | 4.31 | -6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jarrell bearers went from 13,562 to 12,892 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 68 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,660 to #2,728.
FAQ
Jarrell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jarrell?
Name Census estimates that about 14,784 living Americans carry the surname Jarrell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 23,184 residents.
How common is Jarrell?
Jarrell ranks #2,728 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.31 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 12,892 people with the surname Jarrell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (14,784), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.31 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.31 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Jarrell.
Has Jarrell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jarrell went from 13,562 recorded bearers to 12,892. That is a decrease of 670 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,660 to #2,728.
What does the Census say about the background of Jarrell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jarrell, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.1%. The next largest groups are Black (7.6%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Jarrell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.1% (10,973 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jarrell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.1%), Black (7.6%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Jarrell (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 Jarrell mean?
A derivation of the French surname Jarel, referring to someone who came from Jarel, Normandy. 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 Jarrell (4.31 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 people have the surname Jarrell?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.