2000
#8,414
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,608
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.34
Rare Last name
Jemison
An English surname of unknown origin, possibly derived from a place name or a nickname for James.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,189 Americans carry the last name Jemison. That puts it at #8,625 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.22 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 81,822 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jemison 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 Jemison with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.2K
1 in 81,822
Census rank
#8,625
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,653 bearers of the surname Jemison in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.22 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8625th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jemison, the largest self-reported group is Black at 67.5%. The next largest groups are White (23.8%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jemison
The surname Jemison originated in England, specifically in the county of Yorkshire. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "gema" or "geman," meaning "care" or "protection," and "tun," meaning "town" or "enclosure." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a fortified or protected town or settlement.
The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 13th century. In the Hundred Rolls of Yorkshire, compiled between 1272 and 1273, there are references to individuals with the surname Jemeson or Gemeson. These early spellings reflect the variations in pronunciation and spelling common during that time period.
The name Jemison is also closely associated with the village of Gimsion, located in the East Riding of Yorkshire. This place name is believed to be derived from the same Old English roots as the surname, further strengthening the connection between the name and the region.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname Jemison was William Jemyson, who was recorded as a resident of York in the 15th century. Another individual of note was Thomas Jemison, a merchant and alderman in the city of York, who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries.
In the 17th century, the name Jemison appeared in the parish records of various villages in Yorkshire, including Gimsion, Kirkby Malzeard, and Ripon. This suggests that the name was well-established in the region during this period.
One of the most famous individuals to bear the surname Jemison was Mary Jemison, also known as the "White Woman of the Genesee." Born in 1743, she was captured by a French militia and Shawnee warriors during the French and Indian War and was later adopted by the Seneca tribe. She lived among the Senecas for the rest of her life and played a significant role in maintaining peaceful relations between the tribe and the American settlers.
Other notable individuals with the surname Jemison include:
1. Robert Jemison, an American politician and judge who served as a U.S. Representative from Georgia in the late 18th century.
2. William Jemison, an American businessman and landowner who founded the city of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, in the early 19th century.
3. Thomas Jemison, an English clergyman and educator who served as the headmaster of Oakham School in the 18th century.
4. John Jemison, an English engraver and publisher active in the 18th century, known for his topographical prints of British cities and landscapes.
While the surname Jemison has its roots in Yorkshire, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly to the United States, where many bearers of the name can trace their ancestry back to immigrants from England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jemison
Among Census respondents with the surname Jemison, the largest self-reported group is Black at 67.5%. The next largest groups are White (23.8%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Jemison 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 Jemison surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American67.5% · 2,465
- White23.8% · 871
- Two or more races5.3% · 195
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 81
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 26
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jemison
Jemison 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
#8,653
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,797
+189 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 1.29
Rank movement Down 239 places
2020
#8,625
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,653
-144 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 1.22
Rank movement Up 28 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,414 | 3,608 | 1.34 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,653 | 3,797 | 1.29 | +189 bearers (+5.2%) | Down 239 places |
| 2020 | #8,625 | 3,653 | 1.22 | -144 bearers (-3.8%) | Up 28 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 Jemison 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 | #8,653 | #8,625 | 0.3% |
| Count | 3,797 | 3,653 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.29 | 1.22 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jemison bearers went from 3,797 to 3,653 (-3.8% change). The surname moved up 28 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,653 to #8,625.
FAQ
Jemison surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jemison?
Name Census estimates that about 4,189 living Americans carry the surname Jemison. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 81,822 residents.
How common is Jemison?
Jemison ranks #8,625 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.22 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 3,653 people with the surname Jemison. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,189), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.22 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.22 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 Jemison.
Has Jemison become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jemison went from 3,797 recorded bearers to 3,653. That is a decrease of 144 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,653 to #8,625.
What does the Census say about the background of Jemison?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jemison, the largest self-reported group is Black at 67.5%. The next largest groups are White (23.8%) and Two or More Races (5.3%). 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 Jemison in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.5% (2,465 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jemison appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (67.5%), White (23.8%), Two or More Races (5.3%). 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 Jemison (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 Jemison mean?
An English surname of unknown origin, possibly derived from a place name or a nickname for James. 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 Jemison (1.22 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 common is the surname Jemison?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Jemison on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.