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

Jersey, 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 Jersey surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Jersey in America

Jersey is the 41234th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Jersey surname appeared 528 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 Jersey.

We can also compare 2010 data for Jersey 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 Jersey

The surname Jersey originated from the Channel Island of Jersey, located off the coast of France. It first appeared in the late 11th century, shortly after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. The name is derived from the Old Norse word "Gersoy" which means "Grassy Island."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Jersey can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Gersoie." This document, commissioned by William the Conqueror, was a survey of land ownership and tax assessments in England and parts of Wales.

In the 12th century, the surname Jersey began to appear in various records and manuscripts, often associated with individuals who had connections to the island. One notable example is Robert Jersey, a Norman knight who fought alongside Richard the Lionheart in the Third Crusade (1189-1192).

During the 13th century, the name Jersey became more widespread as people from the island migrated to other parts of England and Europe. A prominent figure from this era was Sir John Jersey (1250-1315), a wealthy landowner and member of the English gentry.

As the centuries passed, the name Jersey continued to evolve and take on different spellings, such as Jerseye, Jerzey, and Jerzy. In the 16th century, a notable figure was Thomas Jersey (1517-1582), an English Protestant reformer and author of religious works.

The 17th century saw the rise of another prominent individual with the surname Jersey, Sir Edward Jersey (1618-1689), who served as a Member of Parliament and was appointed Lord Chief Justice of Ireland in 1683.

In the 18th century, the name Jersey gained further recognition with the birth of George Nugent-Temple-Grenville, 1st Marquess of Buckingham (1753-1813), who was also known as Baron Jersey due to his ancestral connections to the island.

Throughout history, the surname Jersey has been associated with various individuals from different walks of life, including politicians, writers, artists, and military figures. It serves as a reminder of the rich cultural heritage and history of the Channel Island from which it originated.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Jersey

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

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

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

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