2000
#2,172
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,321
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.68
Uncommon Last name
Jean
A French occupational surname for someone who worked with or made jeans or other garments.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 28,370 Americans carry the last name Jean. That puts it at #1,401 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 8.28 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 12,082 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jean 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 Jean with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
28K
1 in 12,082
Census rank
#1,401
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
8.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
25K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 24,740 bearers of the surname Jean in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 8.28 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1401st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jean, the largest self-reported group is Black at 73.5%. The next largest groups are White (18.8%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jean
The surname Jean originates from France, where it first emerged in the Middle Ages around the 12th century. It is derived from the medieval French given name "Jean," which itself comes from the Latin name "Ioannes," a variant of the Hebrew name "Yochanan" meaning "Graced by God." The name Jean was widespread in France during the Middle Ages and was often used as a surname to identify individuals by their given name.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Jean can be found in the Domesday Book, a manuscript record of landholdings in England compiled by order of William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears in various spellings, such as "Jewan" and "Jehan," reflecting the phonetic variations common in medieval times.
During the 13th century, the surname Jean became associated with several notable figures. One such individual was Jean de Meung (c. 1240-1305), a French poet and scholar best known for his contributions to the allegorical work "The Romance of the Rose." Another prominent bearer of the name was Jean de Joinville (c. 1224-1317), a medieval chronicler and biographer of King Louis IX of France.
In the 14th century, the surname Jean continued to be used by notable individuals, such as Jean Froissart (c. 1337-c. 1405), a renowned chronicler and poet who documented the Hundred Years' War between England and France. Another notable figure was Jean de Béthencourt (c. 1362-1425), a Norman explorer and conquistador who led the conquest of the Canary Islands in the early 15th century.
The 16th century saw the rise of Jean Calvin (1509-1564), a French theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation. His teachings and writings influenced the development of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism, and his surname became closely associated with the Calvinistic branch of the Reformation.
As the surname Jean spread across France and beyond, it took on various local spellings and variations. For example, in the region of Brittany, the surname was sometimes rendered as "Gian" or "Gean," reflecting the local linguistic influences. Similarly, in other regions of France, the name might have been spelled as "Jehan," "Jehanne," or "Jehanne," among other variations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jean
Among Census respondents with the surname Jean, the largest self-reported group is Black at 73.5%. The next largest groups are White (18.8%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Jean 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 Jean surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American73.5% · 18,185
- White18.8% · 4,658
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 831
- Two or more races2.6% · 644
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 366
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 56
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jean
Jean 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
#1,703
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,140
+5,819 bearers (+38.0%)
Per 100,000 7.17
Rank movement Up 469 places
2020
#1,401
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,740
+3,600 bearers (+17.0%)
Per 100,000 8.28
Rank movement Up 302 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,172 | 15,321 | 5.68 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,703 | 21,140 | 7.17 | +5,819 bearers (+38.0%) | Up 469 places |
| 2020 | #1,401 | 24,740 | 8.28 | +3,600 bearers (+17.0%) | Up 302 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 Jean 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 | #1,703 | #1,401 | 17.7% |
| Count | 21,140 | 24,740 | 17.0% |
| Per 100K | 7.17 | 8.28 | 15.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jean bearers went from 21,140 to 24,740 (+17.0% change). The surname moved up 302 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,703 to #1,401.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Jean
FAQ
Jean surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jean?
Name Census estimates that about 28,370 living Americans carry the surname Jean. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 12,082 residents.
How common is Jean?
Jean ranks #1,401 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 8.28 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 24,740 people with the surname Jean. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (28,370), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 8.28 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 8.28 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Jean.
Has Jean become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jean went from 21,140 recorded bearers to 24,740. That is an increase of 3,600 (+17.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,703 to #1,401.
What does the Census say about the background of Jean?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jean, the largest self-reported group is Black at 73.5%. The next largest groups are White (18.8%) and Hispanic (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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Jean in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.5% (18,185 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jean appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (73.5%), White (18.8%), Hispanic (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 Jean (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 Jean mean?
A French occupational surname for someone who worked with or made jeans or other 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 Jean (8.28 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 Jean?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.