2010
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Jentes
An ethnic surname of German origin meaning "gentle" or "kind".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Jentes. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jentes 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Jentes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jentes, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.7%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jentes
The surname Jentes originated in Germany during the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Germanic personal name "Gent" or "Gento," which may have referred to a person who was gentle or well-behaved. The name could also be a locational name, indicating that the bearer came from a place called Gent or Genten.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Anhaltinus, a collection of historical documents from the region of Anhalt in central Germany. In this manuscript, dated around the 13th century, there are references to individuals with the surname Jentes or similar spellings like Jentze or Jentz.
During the Middle Ages, the Jentes family was likely concentrated in the regions of central and northern Germany, particularly in areas like Saxony, Thuringia, and Brandenburg. Some notable individuals with this surname from this period include Henricus Jentes, a scholar and clergyman who lived in the city of Erfurt in the 14th century.
As people began to migrate and settle in different parts of Europe, the surname Jentes spread to other regions as well. In the 16th century, there are records of a Jentes family living in the town of Ulm in southern Germany. One member of this family, Hans Jentes, was a prominent merchant and served as a city councilor in Ulm in the mid-1500s.
Another notable figure with the surname Jentes was Johann Jentes, a German composer and organist who lived in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. He was born in Zittau, Saxony, in 1668 and composed several works for organ and other instruments during his lifetime.
In the 19th century, the Jentes surname appeared in various parts of Germany, as well as in neighboring countries like Austria and Switzerland. One example is Friedrich Jentes, a German writer and poet who was born in Hanau in 1838 and published several collections of poems and plays.
While the surname Jentes is not as common as some other German surnames, it has a rich history and has been carried by individuals from various walks of life throughout the centuries, including scholars, merchants, artists, and writers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jentes
Among Census respondents with the surname Jentes, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.7%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Jentes 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 Jentes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.3% · 100
- Hispanic or Latino11.7% · 14
- Two or more races4.2% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jentes
Jentes appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+15 bearers (+14.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 12,858 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | +15 bearers (+14.3%) | Up 12,858 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 Jentes 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 | #154,907 | #142,049 | 8.3% |
| Count | 105 | 120 | 14.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jentes bearers went from 105 to 120 (+14.3% change). The surname moved up 12,858 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #142,049.
FAQ
Jentes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jentes?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Jentes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Jentes?
Jentes ranks #142,049 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 120 people with the surname Jentes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), 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 Jentes.
Has Jentes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jentes went from 105 recorded bearers to 120. That is an increase of 15 (+14.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Jentes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jentes, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.7%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Jentes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.3% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jentes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.3%), Hispanic (11.7%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Jentes (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 Jentes mean?
An ethnic surname of German origin meaning "gentle" or "kind". 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 Jentes (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 common is the surname Jentes?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Jentes is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.