2000
#12,175
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,346
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.87
Rare Last name
Jellison
Derived from a place name meaning "Giles' son," referring to a descendant of someone named Giles.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,510 Americans carry the last name Jellison. That puts it at #13,326 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 136,556 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jellison 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
2.5K
1 in 136,556
Census rank
#13,326
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,189 bearers of the surname Jellison in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13326th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jellison, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jellison
The surname JELLISON originated in England during the late medieval period, deriving from the Old English words "gyl" meaning a ravine or deep valley, and "tun" meaning a settlement or enclosure. This suggests the name likely referred to someone who lived in a settlement situated within a deep valley or ravine.
The earliest known record of the JELLISON surname dates back to the 13th century, where it appeared in various forms such as Gelletun, Gillytun, and Gylletoun in early census rolls and parish records from counties like Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. These variations in spelling were common before standardized spellings became more widespread.
One of the earliest known bearers of the JELLISON name was William de Gilletun, who was mentioned in the Feet of Fines for Yorkshire in 1301. Another early record is that of John Gillytun, who was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1349.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the JELLISON surname began to take on its more modern spelling, appearing in various records such as the Parish Registers of St. Mary's Church in Beverley, Yorkshire, where the christening of Alice Jellison was recorded in 1596.
Prominent figures throughout history who bore the JELLISON surname include Robert Jellison (1592-1663), a successful merchant and alderman in the city of York, and Samuel Jellison (1727-1805), a respected minister and author from Gloucestershire.
Other notable bearers of the JELLISON name include:
1. William Jellison (1665-1734), a wealthy landowner and magistrate from Lincolnshire.
2. Mary Jellison (1781-1856), a pioneer and one of the first female settlers in the state of Ohio.
3. Thomas Jellison (1822-1897), a prominent industrialist and founder of the Jellison Manufacturing Company in Manchester, England.
4. Elizabeth Jellison (1868-1945), a celebrated author and poet from Yorkshire.
5. John Jellison (1912-1998), a decorated World War II veteran and recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jellison
Among Census respondents with the surname Jellison, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Jellison 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 Jellison surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.1% · 1,994
- Two or more races4.2% · 93
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 53
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 22
- Black or African American0.6% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jellison
Jellison 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
#13,002
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,361
+15 bearers (+0.6%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Down 827 places
2020
#13,326
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,189
-172 bearers (-7.3%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Down 324 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,175 | 2,346 | 0.87 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,002 | 2,361 | 0.80 | +15 bearers (+0.6%) | Down 827 places |
| 2020 | #13,326 | 2,189 | 0.73 | -172 bearers (-7.3%) | Down 324 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 Jellison 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 | #13,002 | #13,326 | -2.5% |
| Count | 2,361 | 2,189 | -7.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.80 | 0.73 | -8.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jellison bearers went from 2,361 to 2,189 (-7.3% change). The surname moved down 324 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,002 to #13,326.
FAQ
Jellison surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jellison?
Name Census estimates that about 2,510 living Americans carry the surname Jellison. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 136,556 residents.
How common is Jellison?
Jellison ranks #13,326 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.73 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,189 people with the surname Jellison. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,510), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.73 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Jellison.
Has Jellison become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jellison went from 2,361 recorded bearers to 2,189. That is a decrease of 172 (-7.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,002 to #13,326.
What does the Census say about the background of Jellison?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jellison, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (2.4%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Jellison in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (1,994 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jellison appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.1%), Two or More Races (4.2%), Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Jellison (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 Jellison mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "Giles' son," referring to a descendant of someone named Giles. 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 Jellison (0.73 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 share the surname Jellison?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.