2000
#594
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 51,361
First available Census row
Per 100,000 19.04
Uncommon Last name
Jefferson
Derived from a place name meaning "son of Jeffrey" or "settlement of Jeffrey's family" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 61,517 Americans carry the last name Jefferson. That puts it at #615 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 17.95 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 5,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jefferson 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 Jefferson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
62K
1 in 5,572
Census rank
#615
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
17.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
54K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 53,646 bearers of the surname Jefferson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 17.95 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 615th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jefferson, the largest self-reported group is Black at 71.6%. The next largest groups are White (16.9%) and Two or More Races (5.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jefferson
The surname Jefferson originates from England and dates back to the late 11th century. It is derived from the Old English words "Ġeoffrey" and "tun," meaning "Geoffrey's town" or "Geoffrey's settlement." The name Geoffrey itself comes from the Old German name Godafrid or Godefroi, which means "peace of God."
The earliest known record of the surname Jefferson appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is written as "Geffries tun." This entry refers to a settlement in Warwickshire owned by a man named Geoffrey or Jeffry. Over time, the name evolved to various spellings, including Jeffreyson, Jeffresson, and eventually Jefferson.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Jefferson is found in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Returns of 1379, which lists a John Jefrayson. In the 15th century, the surname appears in various forms in records from counties like Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, and Derbyshire.
The surname Jefferson is also associated with several place names in England, such as Jeffreston in Gloucestershire and Jefferson in Oxfordshire. These place names likely derive from the same Old English roots as the surname itself.
Notable individuals throughout history who bore the surname Jefferson include:
1. Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), the third President of the United States and the principal author of the Declaration of Independence.
2. Joseph Jefferson (1829-1905), an American actor and playwright known for his portrayal of Rip Van Winkle.
3. Blind Lemon Jefferson (1893-1929), an American blues singer and songwriter from Texas.
4. Richard Jefferson (born 1980), an American former professional basketball player who played in the NBA.
5. Gideon Jefferson (1763-1826), an American Revolutionary War veteran and early settler of Louisiana.
The surname Jefferson has a rich history spanning centuries and continues to be a prominent name in various fields, from politics and literature to sports and entertainment.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jefferson
Among Census respondents with the surname Jefferson, the largest self-reported group is Black at 71.6%. The next largest groups are White (16.9%) and Two or More Races (5.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Jefferson 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 Jefferson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American71.6% · 38,387
- White16.9% · 9,079
- Two or more races5.7% · 3,068
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 1,943
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 899
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 270
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jefferson
Jefferson 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
#615
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 55,179
+3,818 bearers (+7.4%)
Per 100,000 18.71
Rank movement Down 21 places
2020
#615
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 53,646
-1,533 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 17.95
Rank movement No rank change
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #594 | 51,361 | 19.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #615 | 55,179 | 18.71 | +3,818 bearers (+7.4%) | Down 21 places |
| 2020 | #615 | 53,646 | 17.95 | -1,533 bearers (-2.8%) | No rank change |
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 Jefferson 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 | #615 | #615 | 0.0% |
| Count | 55,179 | 53,646 | -2.8% |
| Per 100K | 18.71 | 17.95 | -4.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jefferson bearers went from 55,179 to 53,646 (-2.8% change). The surname held its position in the national ranking, remaining at #615.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Jefferson
FAQ
Jefferson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jefferson?
Name Census estimates that about 61,517 living Americans carry the surname Jefferson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 5,572 residents.
How common is Jefferson?
Jefferson ranks #615 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 17.95 per 100,000 residents, which is about 18 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 53,646 people with the surname Jefferson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (61,517), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 17.95 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 17.95 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 18 of them to have the surname Jefferson.
Has Jefferson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jefferson went from 55,179 recorded bearers to 53,646. That is a decrease of 1,533 (-2.8%). In the national ranking it stayed at #615.
What does the Census say about the background of Jefferson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jefferson, the largest self-reported group is Black at 71.6%. The next largest groups are White (16.9%) and Two or More Races (5.7%). 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 Jefferson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.6% (38,387 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jefferson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (71.6%), White (16.9%), Two or More Races (5.7%). 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 Jefferson (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 Jefferson mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "son of Jeffrey" or "settlement of Jeffrey's family" in Old English. 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 Jefferson (17.95 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 Jefferson?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.