2010
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Jessa
Of Hebrew origin, meaning "gift of God" or "wealthy one".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Jessa. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jessa 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Jessa in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jessa, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 43.5%. The next largest groups are White (31.5%) and Black (12.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jessa
The surname "JESSA" has its origins in the Middle Ages, with the earliest known records dating back to the 11th century. It is believed to have originated in the region of modern-day Germany, specifically in the area around the city of Essen. The name is thought to be derived from the Old German word "jessa," which means "dweller of the river."
One of the earliest known references to the name "JESSA" can be found in a medieval manuscript from the year 1124, which mentions a landowner named Konrad Jessa von Essen. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region at that time.
During the 13th century, the name began to spread beyond the Essen area, with records showing individuals bearing the surname "JESSA" in various parts of Germany. One notable example is Heinrich Jessa, a merchant from the city of Hamburg who lived in the late 1200s.
As the centuries passed, the name "JESSA" continued to be found throughout Germany and neighboring regions. In the 15th century, a wealthy landowner named Johann Jessa was recorded as owning significant tracts of land in the region of Saxony.
By the 16th century, the name had also made its way to other parts of Europe, including the Netherlands and England. One notable figure from this period was Willem Jessa, a Dutch painter who lived from 1540 to 1608 and was known for his masterful depictions of landscapes and seascapes.
In the 17th century, the name "JESSA" appeared in various records and documents throughout Europe. One interesting example is that of Hans Jessa, a German soldier who fought in the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648) and was mentioned in several military accounts from that period.
As time progressed, the name "JESSA" continued to be found in various parts of the world, often carried by individuals or families who had migrated from their original homelands. While the name may have evolved and taken on different spellings or variations in different regions, its roots can be traced back to the Middle Ages and the region around the city of Essen in Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jessa
Among Census respondents with the surname Jessa, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 43.5%. The next largest groups are White (31.5%) and Black (12.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Jessa 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 Jessa surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander43.5% · 47
- White31.5% · 34
- Black or African American12.0% · 13
- Hispanic or Latino7.4% · 8
- Two or more races5.6% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jessa
Jessa appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-9 bearers (-7.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,827 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.7%) | Down 8,827 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 Jessa 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 | #142,108 | #150,935 | -6.2% |
| Count | 117 | 108 | -7.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jessa bearers went from 117 to 108 (-7.7% change). The surname moved down 8,827 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #150,935.
FAQ
Jessa surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jessa?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Jessa. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Jessa?
Jessa ranks #150,935 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 108 people with the surname Jessa. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), 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 Jessa.
Has Jessa become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jessa went from 117 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 9 (-7.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #142,108 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Jessa?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jessa, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 43.5%. The next largest groups are White (31.5%) and Black (12.0%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Jessa in the 2020 Census, accounting for 43.5% (47 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jessa appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (43.5%), White (31.5%), Black (12.0%). 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 Jessa (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 Jessa mean?
Of Hebrew origin, meaning "gift of God" or "wealthy one". 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 Jessa (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 Americans have the surname Jessa?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.