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

Jelks, 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 Jelks surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Jelks in America

Jelks is the 14299th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Jelks surname appeared 2,093 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 Jelks.

We can also compare 2010 data for Jelks 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.

The history of the last name Jelks

The surname JELKS is believed to have originated in England, with roots dating back to the 16th century. It is thought to be a locational surname, derived from a place name such as Jelkes or Jelkes Hill, which may have been located in the counties of Worcestershire or Gloucestershire.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the JELKS surname can be found in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Worcester, where a John Jelks is mentioned in a baptismal entry from 1594. There are also references to a William Jelks in the Gloucestershire Muster Rolls of 1608, suggesting that the name was present in both counties during this time period.

The JELKS surname is believed to have evolved from the Old English word "gelcian," which means "to yell" or "to shout." This could indicate that the name may have originally been a descriptive nickname given to someone with a loud or boisterous voice.

In the 17th century, the JELKS surname appears in various historical records, including the Hearth Tax Rolls of 1662, where a Thomas Jelks is listed as a resident of the village of Bretforton in Worcestershire. Another notable mention is found in the Gloucestershire Parish Registers of 1674, which record the marriage of a Robert Jelks and Elizabeth Williams.

One of the earliest known individuals with the JELKS surname was Richard Jelks, who was born in Worcestershire in 1635. He later emigrated to the American colonies, settling in Virginia in the late 17th century.

Other notable individuals with the JELKS surname include:

1. Sir William Jelks (1720-1785), a prominent merchant and landowner in Bristol, England.
2. Captain Edward Jelks (1760-1832), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars.
3. Reverend Thomas Jelks (1785-1854), an English clergyman and academic who served as the headmaster of King Edward's School in Birmingham.
4. Mary Anne Jelks (1810-1892), a philanthropist and social reformer from Gloucestershire, known for her work in establishing schools for underprivileged children.
5. John Jelks (1845-1918), a British politician who served as a Member of Parliament for the constituency of West Worcestershire from 1892 to 1900.

While the JELKS surname may have originated from a specific location in England, over the centuries, it has spread to various parts of the world, carried by individuals who migrated or sought new opportunities in different countries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Jelks

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

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 Jelks was:

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

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

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

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