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

Jerdon, 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 Jerdon surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Jerdon in America

Jerdon is the 79075th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Jerdon surname appeared 241 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 Jerdon.

We can also compare 2010 data for Jerdon 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 Jerdon

The surname JERDON has its origins in the Middle English language and can be traced back to the 14th century. It is believed to have derived from a combination of the Old English words "gyr" meaning "spear" and "dun" meaning "hill" or "down." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived on a spear-shaped hill or near a hill fortified with spears.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire, a census-like record from 1273, which mentions a John Jerdon residing in that county. The Hundred Rolls were administrative records compiled in England during the reign of King Edward I.

In the 15th century, the name appears in various spellings, such as Gyrdun, Gyrdon, and Jerdun, in records from counties like Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire. These variations reflect the fluid nature of surname spellings during that time.

The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings and tenants in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname JERDON. However, it does mention several place names that may have influenced the development of the surname, such as Gyrton in Cambridgeshire and Gyrding in Gloucestershire.

One notable individual with the surname JERDON was Thomas Jerdon (1811-1872), a British naturalist and zoologist who made significant contributions to the study of the flora and fauna of the Indian subcontinent. His seminal work, "The Birds of India," published in 1862-1864, remains an important reference in ornithology.

Another person of note was William Jerdon (1782-1853), a British politician and Member of Parliament who represented various constituencies in the House of Commons between 1819 and 1847. He was also a Deputy Lieutenant of Staffordshire.

In the 16th century, the surname appears in records from the town of Malmesbury in Wiltshire, where a man named John Jerdon is listed as a landowner in 1567. This suggests that the name had spread to different parts of England by that time.

Sir Walter Jerdon (1553-1613) was an English judge and Chief Justice of the Common Pleas during the reign of King James I. He was also a Member of Parliament for various constituencies between 1597 and 1611.

The JERDON surname has also been associated with several place names in England, such as Jerdon Hill in Worcestershire and Jerdon Farm in Buckinghamshire, further indicating the name's historical roots in various parts of the country.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Jerdon

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

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

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

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