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

Jenness, 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 Jenness surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Jenness in America

Jenness is the 19398th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Jenness surname appeared 1,393 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Jenness.

We can also compare 2010 data for Jenness 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 Jenness

The surname Jenness originated in Normandy, France, during the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old French word "genet," which referred to a type of small horse or pony breed. The earliest recorded spelling of the name was "de Genest," appearing in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Sir Robert de Genest, a Norman knight who fought alongside William the Conqueror during the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. He was granted lands in Somerset, England, for his service. Another notable early bearer was Richard de Jenesse, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1194.

The name Jenness can also be traced back to various place names in Normandy, such as Genet and Jenets. These place names were likely derived from the Old French word "genet," indicating that the surname may have been initially used to identify someone who lived near or was associated with areas known for breeding or keeping these small horses.

As the name spread across England and Scotland, various spellings emerged, including Jennesse, Jeness, Jenessy, and Jennis. One of the earliest recorded instances of the Jenness spelling was in 1524, when John Jenness was listed in the records of the parish of St. Martin's in London.

Notable individuals with the surname Jenness throughout history include:

1. Sir Thomas Jenness (1604-1659), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Canterbury during the English Civil War.
2. Robert Jenness (1683-1750), a British naval commander and explorer who charted parts of the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea.
3. Mary Jenness (1735-1810), an American colonial-era writer and educator from New Hampshire.
4. Daniel Jenness (1786-1855), an American businessman and politician who served as the 18th Governor of New Hampshire from 1835 to 1837.
5. Samuel Jenness (1821-1899), an American Civil War veteran and politician who represented New Hampshire in the United States House of Representatives from 1877 to 1879.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Jenness

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

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

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

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