2000
#131,366
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Jenista
A surname of uncertain origin, possibly derived from a placename or occupation.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Jenista. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jenista 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Jenista in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jenista, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (6.5%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jenista
The surname Jenista originates from the Czech Republic and Slovakia, emerging in the 13th century during the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old Czech word "jenika," which meant "a type of falcon or hawk." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who trained or worked with these birds of prey.
The earliest known record of the Jenista name appears in a historical document from the town of Brno, located in present-day Czech Republic, dated around 1280. In this document, a man named Petr Jenista is mentioned as a falconer in the service of a local nobleman.
Throughout the 14th and 15th centuries, variations of the spelling, such as "Jenissta" and "Yenista," can be found in various medieval manuscripts and town records across Bohemia and Moravia, which were part of the Kingdom of Bohemia at the time.
One notable individual bearing this surname was Jan Jenista, a prominent Czech Protestant minister and theologian who lived from 1510 to 1582. He played a significant role in the Bohemian Reformation and was a vocal opponent of the Catholic Church's practices.
In the 17th century, during the Thirty Years' War, a military commander named Vaclav Jenista gained recognition for his leadership in defending the city of Olomouc against Swedish forces.
Another historical figure was Katerina Jenista, a renowned Czech painter and artist who lived from 1760 to 1830. Her works, primarily religious-themed paintings, can still be found in several churches and museums across the Czech Republic.
In the late 19th century, a man named Josef Jenista (1832-1909) achieved fame as a successful entrepreneur and industrialist. He established several textile factories in the region of Moravia and was instrumental in the growth of the textile industry in that area.
While the Jenista surname is most commonly associated with the Czech Republic and Slovakia, it has also spread to other parts of Europe and beyond due to migration patterns over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jenista
Among Census respondents with the surname Jenista, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (6.5%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Jenista 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 Jenista surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.8% · 95
- Asian and Pacific Islander6.5% · 7
- Two or more races2.8% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jenista
Jenista 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
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-5 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,854 places
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-7 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,419 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #131,366 | 119 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.2%) | Down 13,854 places |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 6,419 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 Jenista 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 | #145,220 | #151,639 | -4.4% |
| Count | 114 | 107 | -6.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jenista bearers went from 114 to 107 (-6.1% change). The surname moved down 6,419 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #151,639.
FAQ
Jenista surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jenista?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Jenista. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Jenista?
Jenista ranks #151,639 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 107 people with the surname Jenista. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), 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 Jenista.
Has Jenista become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jenista went from 114 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 7 (-6.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #145,220 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Jenista?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jenista, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (6.5%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Jenista in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.8% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jenista appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (6.5%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Jenista (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 Jenista mean?
A surname of uncertain origin, possibly derived from a placename or occupation. 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 Jenista (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 Americans have the surname Jenista?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.