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

Jennings, 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 Jennings surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Jennings in America

Jennings is the 347th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Jennings surname appeared 89,700 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 30 people would have the surname Jennings.

We can also compare 2010 data for Jennings 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 Jennings

The surname Jennings is an English habitational name derived from either of the places called Jennings in Somerset or Jenynges in Kent. The name originated from the Old English words "geanian" meaning "gainful or fertile land" and "ing" meaning meadow or enclosure.

The earliest known record of the name dates back to the late 12th century in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire, where a William de Jenynges is mentioned. The Hundred Rolls of 1275 also record a Robert de Jenyns in Oxfordshire.

In the 13th century, the spelling variations included Jenyns, Jenins, and Jenynges. The name is found in various medieval records such as the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327 and the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1349.

The Jennings surname is also connected to the place name Jenynges in Kent, which was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Geninges. This place name is derived from the Old English personal name Gena or Gena's people.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Sir Edmund Jennings (c. 1590-1661), an English landowner and politician who represented Ripon in the Long Parliament. Another notable figure was David Jennings (1691-1762), a dissenting minister and tutor who authored several theological works.

In the 18th century, Sarah Jennings (1660-1744) was a prominent figure at the court of Queen Anne and became the Duchess of Marlborough after her marriage to John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough. Sir Patrick Jennings (1949-), an Irish professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper for clubs like Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal, is another well-known bearer of the name.

The Jennings surname has also been associated with various places in England, such as Jennings Farm in Kent, Jennings Place in Surrey, and Jennings Hill in Shropshire.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Jennings

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

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

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

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