2000
#2,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,298
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.67
Uncommon Last name
Jernigan
An English occupational surname referring to someone who works with iron or an iron monger.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 17,414 Americans carry the last name Jernigan. That puts it at #2,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 19,683 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jernigan 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
17K
1 in 19,683
Census rank
#2,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
15K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 15,186 bearers of the surname Jernigan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jernigan, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.3%. The next largest groups are Black (18.2%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jernigan
The surname Jernigan has its origins in England and is believed to have emerged during the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English words "gyrn" meaning "yarn" and "inga" meaning "people of," suggesting the name may have been associated with individuals involved in the textile industry or yarn production.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Norfolk from 1166, where a person named William Gernegan is mentioned. This spelling variation provides insight into the name's evolution over time.
In the 13th century, the surname appeared in various forms, such as Jernegan, Gernegan, and Jernyngham, reflecting regional dialects and scribal variations in record-keeping. The name was particularly prevalent in the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk in eastern England.
During the 14th century, the Jernigan name gained prominence with the birth of Sir Henry Jerningham (c. 1375-1437), a prominent English knight and landowner. He served as a Member of Parliament and was actively involved in the Hundred Years' War against France.
Another notable figure bearing the Jernigan surname was Sir John Jerningham (c. 1510-1571), who served as a Member of Parliament during the reigns of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. He played a significant role in the religious conflicts of the time, initially supporting the Catholic faith before ultimately conforming to the Church of England.
In the 17th century, the name appeared in the records of the Virginia Company of London, which established the first permanent English settlement in North America at Jamestown in 1607. A Thomas Jernigan is listed as one of the early settlers in the colony, arriving in Virginia around 1618.
As the Jernigan name spread across England and later to the American colonies, it underwent various spelling variations, including Jernegan, Jarnigan, and Jarnagan. The name was also associated with several place names, such as Jerningham in Norfolk and Jerningham Park in Suffolk.
Other notable individuals with the Jernigan surname include John Jerningham (1759-1837), an English Catholic writer and biographer, and Edmund Jerningham (1776-1842), an English Catholic priest and author who served as the vicar apostolic of the Western District of England.
Throughout its history, the Jernigan name has been carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds, ranging from knights and landowners to settlers, writers, and religious figures, reflecting the rich tapestry of English and American history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jernigan
Among Census respondents with the surname Jernigan, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.3%. The next largest groups are Black (18.2%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Jernigan 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 Jernigan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.3% · 11,290
- Black or African American18.2% · 2,768
- Two or more races3.8% · 584
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 355
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 105
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 84
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jernigan
Jernigan 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
#2,294
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,889
+591 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 5.39
Rank movement Down 112 places
2020
#2,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,186
-703 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 5.08
Rank movement Down 45 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,182 | 15,298 | 5.67 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,294 | 15,889 | 5.39 | +591 bearers (+3.9%) | Down 112 places |
| 2020 | #2,339 | 15,186 | 5.08 | -703 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 45 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 Jernigan 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 | #2,294 | #2,339 | -2.0% |
| Count | 15,889 | 15,186 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 5.39 | 5.08 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jernigan bearers went from 15,889 to 15,186 (-4.4% change). The surname moved down 45 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,294 to #2,339.
FAQ
Jernigan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jernigan?
Name Census estimates that about 17,414 living Americans carry the surname Jernigan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 19,683 residents.
How common is Jernigan?
Jernigan ranks #2,339 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.08 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 15,186 people with the surname Jernigan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (17,414), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.08 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Jernigan.
Has Jernigan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jernigan went from 15,889 recorded bearers to 15,186. That is a decrease of 703 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,294 to #2,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Jernigan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jernigan, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.3%. The next largest groups are Black (18.2%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Jernigan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.3% (11,290 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jernigan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.3%), Black (18.2%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Jernigan (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 Jernigan mean?
An English occupational surname referring to someone who works with iron or an iron monger. 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 Jernigan (5.08 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 share the surname Jernigan?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.