2000
#114,852
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 141
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Jeney
A Hungarian surname derived from a pet form of the given name János, meaning "God is gracious."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Jeney. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jeney 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Jeney in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jeney, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jeney
The surname Jeney originated in Hungary, with records dating back to the 15th century. It is believed to be derived from the Hungarian word "jenő," which means "evergreen" or "young man." This suggests that the name may have initially been a nickname or descriptive term for someone with a youthful or vibrant appearance.
The earliest known record of the Jeney surname can be found in a Hungarian census document from 1485, where a person named Jakab Jeney was listed as a resident of the town of Székesfehérvár. This town, located near Budapest, was an important center for Hungarian nobility and clergy during the Middle Ages.
In the 16th century, the Jeney family gained prominence in the region of Transylvania, which was part of the Kingdom of Hungary at the time. Several members of the family held positions of influence, such as János Jeney (1495-1558), who served as a judge and royal councilor under King John I of Hungary.
As the Jeney family dispersed throughout Hungary and neighboring regions, variations in the spelling of the name became common. Some alternative spellings included Jenei, Jenay, and Jene. These variations often reflected regional dialects or local pronunciation preferences.
One notable bearer of the Jeney name was Mihály Jeney (1724-1797), a Hungarian composer and organist who lived during the late Baroque period. His works, which included masses and other sacred compositions, were highly regarded within the Catholic Church of his time.
Another prominent figure was Károly Jeney (1739-1799), a Hungarian military officer and landowner. He served in the Austrian army during the Napoleonic Wars and was awarded several honors for his bravery and leadership on the battlefield.
In the 19th century, the Jeney surname continued to spread throughout the Austro-Hungarian Empire and beyond. One example is Ernő Jeney (1854-1924), a Hungarian engineer and inventor who made significant contributions to the development of early automobiles and internal combustion engines.
While the Jeney surname has its roots firmly planted in Hungarian history, it has since been adopted by families in various parts of Europe and the Americas, reflecting the global migration patterns of the past few centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jeney
Among Census respondents with the surname Jeney, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Jeney 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 Jeney surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 108
- Two or more races4.2% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.5% · 3
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jeney
Jeney 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
#133,048
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
-14 bearers (-9.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 18,196 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-9 bearers (-7.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,463 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #114,852 | 141 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #133,048 | 127 | 0.04 | -14 bearers (-9.9%) | Down 18,196 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.1%) | Down 10,463 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 Jeney 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 | #133,048 | #143,511 | -7.9% |
| Count | 127 | 118 | -7.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jeney bearers went from 127 to 118 (-7.1% change). The surname moved down 10,463 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,048 to #143,511.
FAQ
Jeney surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jeney?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Jeney. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Jeney?
Jeney ranks #143,511 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 118 people with the surname Jeney. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Jeney.
Has Jeney become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jeney went from 127 recorded bearers to 118. That is a decrease of 9 (-7.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,048 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Jeney?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jeney, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.5%). 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 Jeney in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jeney appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Two or More Races (4.2%), American Indian/Alaska Native (2.5%). 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 Jeney (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 Jeney mean?
A Hungarian surname derived from a pet form of the given name János, meaning "God is gracious." 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 Jeney (0.04 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 last name Jeney?
See how many people have the last name Jeney on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.