Jeans last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Jeans

A French surname derived from the given name Jean, a form of John.

Jeans, 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 Jeans surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Jeans in America

Jeans is the 17521st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Jeans surname appeared 1,608 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 Jeans.

We can also compare 2010 data for Jeans 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 17521 16109 8.40%
Count 1,608 1,652 -2.70%
Proportion per 100k 0.55 0.61 -10.34%

The history of the last name Jeans

The surname Jeans has its origins in Normandy, France, tracing back to the 11th century. It is derived from the Germanic personal name "John," which was initially introduced to England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. Over time, the surname evolved from various spellings such as Jehan, Jeane, and Jene.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Jeans surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landowners and properties in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appeared in various forms, including Jehanne and Jehane.

During the 13th century, the surname Jeans began to emerge in historical records across different regions of England. In 1275, a Richard Jene was mentioned in the Hundredorum Rolls of Norfolk. Additionally, in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1296, a John Jene was documented.

Prominent individuals with the surname Jeans have left their mark throughout history. One notable figure was Sir John Jeans (1598-1658), an English merchant and philanthropist known for his significant contributions to the rebuilding of London after the Great Fire of 1666.

Another well-known bearer of the name was Benjamin Jeans (1704-1780), a British naval officer who served during the War of the Austrian Succession and the Seven Years' War. He is credited with capturing several French ships during his military career.

In the realm of literature, James Stephen Jeans (1811-1902), an English philosopher and writer, made his mark with his works on ethics and metaphysics. His book "The Life and Letters of Thomas Babington Macaulay" was widely acclaimed.

The name Jeans has also been associated with notable scientists. Sir James Hopwood Jeans (1877-1946) was a British physicist, astronomer, and mathematician who made significant contributions to the understanding of the universe and the theory of stellar evolution.

Another prominent figure was James Jeans (1856-1944), a Scottish-born American educator and author. He served as the president of the University of Nevada and wrote several influential books on education and philosophy.

While the Jeans surname has evolved over centuries and spread across various regions, its roots can be traced back to the Norman influence in England, with a rich history spanning various fields and notable individuals who have left an indelible mark.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Jeans

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

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 Jeans was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 69.90% 1,124
Non-Hispanic Black Only 21.64% 348
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 2.05% 33
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 1.37% 22
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 2.61% 42
Hispanic Origin 2.43% 39

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 Jeans has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 69.90% 74.03% -5.74%
Black 21.64% 20.10% 7.38%
Asian and Pacific Islander 2.05% 1.21% 51.53%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 1.37% 1.51% -9.72%
Two or More Races 2.61% 2.00% 26.46%
Hispanic 2.43% 1.15% 71.51%

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

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

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"Jeans last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/jeans-surname-popularity/.

"Jeans last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/jeans-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 November, 2024

Jeans last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/jeans-surname-popularity/.

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