2000
#3,987
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,179
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.03
Uncommon Last name
Jerome
Derived from the Greek name Hieronymos, meaning "sacred name," originally referring to a place name or a patron saint.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,419 Americans carry the last name Jerome. That puts it at #3,808 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 32,897 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jerome 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Jerome with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
10K
1 in 32,897
Census rank
#3,808
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.1K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,086 bearers of the surname Jerome in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3808th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jerome, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.9%. The next largest groups are Black (27.6%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jerome
The surname Jerome is of French origin, derived from the Latin name Hieronymus, which itself is derived from the Greek words "hieros" meaning sacred, and "onoma" meaning name. The name Hieronymus was a popular name among early Christians, and it is believed that the surname Jerome emerged in medieval France as a patronymic surname, meaning "son of Jerome."
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Jerome can be traced back to the 12th century in Normandy, France. In the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a record of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are no recorded instances of the surname Jerome, indicating that the name likely emerged after this time period.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Jerome is Geoffrey de Jerome, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1195. The Pipe Rolls were a record of financial transactions made by the English government during the Middle Ages.
Another notable individual with the surname Jerome was Jean Jerome, a French scholar and theologian who lived in the 15th century. He was a professor at the University of Paris and authored several works on theology and philosophy.
In the 16th century, the surname Jerome can be found in the records of the English county of Somerset. One notable individual from this time period was William Jerome, who was born in Taunton, Somerset, in 1550. He was a merchant and served as a Member of Parliament for Taunton in 1597.
The surname Jerome also has a long history in Italy, where it is believed to have been introduced by French settlers in the medieval period. One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname in Italy was Giovanni Girolamo, a Venetian painter who lived in the 16th century and was active in the Venetian Renaissance.
In the 17th century, the surname Jerome can be found in the records of the English county of Oxfordshire. One notable individual from this time period was Thomas Jerome, who was born in Oxfordshire in 1660 and became a prominent mathematician and philosopher.
Other notable individuals with the surname Jerome throughout history include:
1. Jeremiah Jerome, an American revolutionary who fought in the American Revolutionary War (1738-1820).
2. Jerome K. Jerome, an English writer and humorist best known for his novel "Three Men in a Boat" (1859-1927).
3. Jennie Jerome, an American socialite and the mother of Winston Churchill (1854-1921).
4. Camille Jerome, a French painter and sculptor known for his works in the Art Nouveau style (1828-1904).
5. Jerome Kern, an American composer of musical theater and popular music (1885-1945).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jerome
Among Census respondents with the surname Jerome, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.9%. The next largest groups are Black (27.6%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Jerome 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 Jerome surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White60.9% · 5,536
- Black or African American27.6% · 2,505
- Two or more races4.1% · 369
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 342
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.2% · 202
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.5% · 132
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jerome
Jerome 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
#3,885
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,131
+952 bearers (+11.6%)
Per 100,000 3.10
Rank movement Up 102 places
2020
#3,808
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,086
-45 bearers (-0.5%)
Per 100,000 3.04
Rank movement Up 77 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,987 | 8,179 | 3.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,885 | 9,131 | 3.10 | +952 bearers (+11.6%) | Up 102 places |
| 2020 | #3,808 | 9,086 | 3.04 | -45 bearers (-0.5%) | Up 77 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 Jerome 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 | #3,885 | #3,808 | 2.0% |
| Count | 9,131 | 9,086 | -0.5% |
| Per 100K | 3.10 | 3.04 | -1.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jerome bearers went from 9,131 to 9,086 (-0.5% change). The surname moved up 77 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,885 to #3,808.
FAQ
Jerome surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jerome?
Name Census estimates that about 10,419 living Americans carry the surname Jerome. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 32,897 residents.
How common is Jerome?
Jerome ranks #3,808 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,086 people with the surname Jerome. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,419), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Jerome.
Has Jerome become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jerome went from 9,131 recorded bearers to 9,086. That is a decrease of 45 (-0.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #3,885 to #3,808.
What does the Census say about the background of Jerome?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jerome, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.9%. The next largest groups are Black (27.6%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Jerome in the 2020 Census, accounting for 60.9% (5,536 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jerome appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (60.9%), Black (27.6%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Jerome (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 Jerome mean?
Derived from the Greek name Hieronymos, meaning "sacred name," originally referring to a place name or a patron saint. 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 Jerome (3.04 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 many people share the surname Jerome?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.