2000
#10,389
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,842
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.05
Rare Last name
Jerez
A habitational surname referring to someone from Jerez, a city in southern Spain known for its sherry production.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,183 Americans carry the last name Jerez. That puts it at #7,126 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.51 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 66,130 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jerez 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
5.2K
1 in 66,130
Census rank
#7,126
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,520 bearers of the surname Jerez in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.51 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7126th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jerez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.9%. The next largest groups are White (3.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jerez
The surname Jerez originated in Spain, specifically in the region of Andalusia. It is believed to have derived from the name of the city of Jerez de la Frontera, located in the province of Cádiz. The name Jerez is thought to have Arabic roots, stemming from the word "Sherish," which means "a place with abundant water."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Jerez can be found in the Repartimiento de Sevilla, a document from the 13th century that documented the distribution of land and properties among the Christian conquerors after the reconquest of Seville from the Moors in 1248. This document mentions several individuals with the surname Jerez, indicating their presence in the region during that time period.
In the 14th century, there are records of a prominent family named Jerez in the city of Jerez de la Frontera. This family played a significant role in the region's wine industry, which was already well-established during that time. The name Jerez became closely associated with the wine-making tradition of the area, and the term "Sherry" is derived from the name Jerez.
One notable individual with the surname Jerez was Juan de Jerez, a Spanish explorer and navigator who accompanied Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the Americas in 1493. Juan de Jerez was born in the late 15th century and played a crucial role in establishing the first European settlement on the island of Hispaniola (present-day Haiti and Dominican Republic).
Another famous bearer of the surname was Francisco de Jerez, a Spanish chronicler and soldier who participated in the conquest of Peru under the command of Francisco Pizarro in the 16th century. His account, "Verdadera Relación de la Conquista del Perú" (True Account of the Conquest of Peru), published in 1534, is considered one of the most important primary sources on the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire.
In the 17th century, Diego de Jerez was a prominent Spanish painter known for his religious works and portraits. He was born in Jerez de la Frontera in 1609 and his paintings can be found in various churches and museums in Spain.
During the 18th century, Manuel Jerez y Pizarro was a Spanish naval officer and explorer who led several expeditions to the Pacific Northwest, including the exploration of the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the discovery of the San Juan Islands in present-day Washington state.
In the 19th century, José Jerez Perchet was a renowned Spanish sculptor and painter from Jerez de la Frontera. He was born in 1835 and is best known for his religious sculptures and altarpieces commissioned for churches throughout Andalusia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jerez
Among Census respondents with the surname Jerez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.9%. The next largest groups are White (3.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Jerez 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 Jerez surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino94.9% · 4,291
- White3.5% · 158
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 43
- Black or African American0.4% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 6
- Two or more races0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jerez
Jerez 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
#8,137
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,074
+1,232 bearers (+43.3%)
Per 100,000 1.38
Rank movement Up 2,252 places
2020
#7,126
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,520
+446 bearers (+10.9%)
Per 100,000 1.51
Rank movement Up 1,011 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,389 | 2,842 | 1.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,137 | 4,074 | 1.38 | +1,232 bearers (+43.3%) | Up 2,252 places |
| 2020 | #7,126 | 4,520 | 1.51 | +446 bearers (+10.9%) | Up 1,011 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 Jerez 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 | #8,137 | #7,126 | 12.4% |
| Count | 4,074 | 4,520 | 10.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.38 | 1.51 | 9.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jerez bearers went from 4,074 to 4,520 (+10.9% change). The surname moved up 1,011 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,137 to #7,126.
FAQ
Jerez surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jerez?
Name Census estimates that about 5,183 living Americans carry the surname Jerez. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 66,130 residents.
How common is Jerez?
Jerez ranks #7,126 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.51 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,520 people with the surname Jerez. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,183), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.51 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.51 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Jerez.
Has Jerez become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jerez went from 4,074 recorded bearers to 4,520. That is an increase of 446 (+10.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,137 to #7,126.
What does the Census say about the background of Jerez?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jerez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.9%. The next largest groups are White (3.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Jerez in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.9% (4,291 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jerez appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (94.9%), White (3.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Jerez (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 Jerez mean?
A habitational surname referring to someone from Jerez, a city in southern Spain known for its sherry production. 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 Jerez (1.51 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 people have the surname Jerez?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.