2000
#120,330
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 133
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Jersild
A Scandinavian locational surname derived from a place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Jersild. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jersild 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Jersild in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jersild, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jersild
The surname Jersild is of Danish origin, deriving from the Danish place name Jersie, which means "grassy place." The name likely emerged in the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century, when surnames began to be adopted more widely in Scandinavia.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Jersild can be found in the Danish Census Rolls of 1645, where a Hans Jersild is listed as a resident of the town of Odense on the island of Funen. This suggests that the name may have originated in this region of Denmark.
In the 17th century, a notable bearer of the name was Peder Jersild (1625-1705), a Danish clergyman who served as the Bishop of Viborg from 1673 until his death. He was a prominent figure in the Lutheran Church of Denmark during his time.
Another early bearer of the name was Jens Jersild (1670-1737), a Danish merchant and ship owner who was active in the prosperous trading port of Elsinore (Helsingør) in the late 17th and early 18th centuries.
In the 19th century, the Jersild name gained some literary recognition through the works of the Danish writer and playwright Jens Christian Jersild (1819-1892). He was known for his satirical plays and social commentary on Danish society during the latter half of the 19th century.
A more recent historical figure with the Jersild surname was Jørgen Jersild (1913-2004), a Danish journalist and author who worked for several prominent Danish newspapers and publications throughout his career. He was also a prolific writer, publishing numerous books on historical and cultural topics related to Denmark.
While the Jersild name has its roots in Denmark, it has also been carried by individuals in other parts of the world, likely due to migration and the spread of Danish communities over the centuries. However, its origins can be traced back to the grassy landscapes of medieval Denmark, where the name first emerged as a way to identify one's place of origin or residence.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jersild
Among Census respondents with the surname Jersild, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Jersild 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 Jersild surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.2% · 109
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.6% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jersild
Jersild 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
#133,048
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
-6 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,718 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-10 bearers (-7.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,222 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #120,330 | 133 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #133,048 | 127 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 12,718 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-7.9%) | Down 11,222 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 Jersild 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 | #133,048 | #144,270 | -8.4% |
| Count | 127 | 117 | -7.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jersild bearers went from 127 to 117 (-7.9% change). The surname moved down 11,222 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,048 to #144,270.
FAQ
Jersild surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jersild?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Jersild. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Jersild?
Jersild ranks #144,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 117 people with the surname Jersild. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Jersild.
Has Jersild become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jersild went from 127 recorded bearers to 117. That is a decrease of 10 (-7.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,048 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Jersild?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jersild, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%). 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 Jersild in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.2% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jersild appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.2%), Hispanic (2.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%). 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 Jersild (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 Jersild mean?
A Scandinavian locational surname derived from a place name. 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 Jersild (0.04 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 have the last name Jersild?
If you just want to know how many people are called Jersild, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.