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

Jervis, 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 Jervis surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Jervis in America

Jervis is the 17809th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Jervis surname appeared 1,572 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Jervis.

We can also compare 2010 data for Jervis 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 Jervis

The surname Jervis is of English origin, derived from the Old French personal name "Gervaise," itself derived from the Germanic elements "ger" meaning "spear" and "vais" meaning "fallow land." The name dates back to the 11th century and is believed to have originated in Normandy, France, before being brought to England by Norman settlers after the Norman Conquest in 1066.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Jervis can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a record of landholders in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears as "Gerveis" and "Gervasius" in various entries, indicating its presence in England shortly after the Norman Conquest.

In the 12th century, the name Jervis began appearing in various historical records and manuscripts, such as the Pipe Rolls and the Curia Regis Rolls. These records often referred to individuals with the name Jervis holding various positions or owning land in different parts of England.

One notable figure with the surname Jervis was Sir John Jervis (1735-1823), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the American Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars. He was known for his victories at the Battle of Cape St. Vincent in 1797 and the Battle of the Nile in 1798, and was later elevated to the peerage as Earl of St. Vincent.

Another prominent individual with the surname Jervis was John Jervis, 1st Earl of St. Vincent (1735-1823), who was a British naval officer and politician. He served as First Lord of the Admiralty from 1801 to 1804 and played a significant role in the Napoleonic Wars.

In the literary world, Thomas Jervis (1748-1833) was an English poet and translator, known for his translations of works by Greek and Roman authors, as well as his original poetry.

William Jervis (1807-1879) was an English architect and engineer, best known for his work on the construction of the Midland Grand Hotel (now known as St. Pancras Renaissance London Hotel) in London, which was completed in 1873.

Lastly, John Jervis-White-Jervis (1857-1921) was a British politician and businessman who served as a Conservative Member of Parliament for Harwich from 1900 to 1906.

While the Jervis surname has its roots in England and can be traced back to the Norman Conquest, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and Australia, through immigration and migration.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Jervis

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

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

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

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