2000
#8,202
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,723
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.38
Rare Last name
Jesse
An anglicized form of the Hebrew name Yishai, meaning "God's gift" or "God exists."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,947 Americans carry the last name Jesse. That puts it at #9,121 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.15 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 86,839 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jesse 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 Jesse with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.9K
1 in 86,839
Census rank
#9,121
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,442 bearers of the surname Jesse in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.15 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9121st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jesse, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.3%) and Black (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jesse
The surname Jesse has its origins in England, where it first emerged during the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old English personal name "Gessa" or "Gisa," which itself originated from the Germanic root "ges" meaning "guest" or "stranger."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Jesse can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation commissioned by William the Conqueror. The entry mentions a landowner named "Gessa" in the county of Berkshire.
In the 12th century, the name appears in various forms, such as "Gesse," "Iesse," and "Jesse," reflecting the evolution of spelling conventions over time. One notable bearer of the name during this period was Jesse de Amundeville, who was a prominent landowner in Warwickshire in the late 12th century.
As the surname Jesse spread across England, it became associated with certain place names, such as Jesse Green in Buckinghamshire and Jesse's Hill in Worcestershire. These locations likely took their names from early settlers or landowners with the surname Jesse.
Among the notable historical figures bearing the surname Jesse is John Jesse, an English historian and writer who lived from 1815 to 1887. He authored several books on English history and literature, including "Memoirs of the Court of England from the Revolution in 1688 to the Death of George II."
Another famous bearer of the name was George Richard Jesse, an English lawyer and writer who lived from 1786 to 1866. He is best known for his work "Researches into the History of the British Dog," which was a comprehensive study of the various breeds of dogs in Britain.
In the field of sports, Jesse Ramsden (1735-1800) was a renowned English mathematician and instrument maker who is credited with inventing several important surveying and astronomical instruments, including the Ramsden theodolite.
Moving into the 19th century, Jesse Boot (1850-1931) was a British businessman and philanthropist who founded the Boots pharmacy chain, which grew to become a prominent retailer in the United Kingdom.
Lastly, Jesse Owens (1913-1980) was an American track and field athlete who achieved international fame at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, where he won four gold medals, challenging the Nazi ideology of Aryan supremacy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jesse
Among Census respondents with the surname Jesse, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.3%) and Black (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Jesse 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 Jesse surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.2% · 2,831
- Hispanic or Latino5.3% · 181
- Black or African American4.8% · 166
- Two or more races3.5% · 121
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.3% · 114
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 29
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jesse
Jesse 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
#8,536
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,855
+132 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 1.31
Rank movement Down 334 places
2020
#9,121
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,442
-413 bearers (-10.7%)
Per 100,000 1.15
Rank movement Down 585 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,202 | 3,723 | 1.38 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,536 | 3,855 | 1.31 | +132 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 334 places |
| 2020 | #9,121 | 3,442 | 1.15 | -413 bearers (-10.7%) | Down 585 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 Jesse 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 | #8,536 | #9,121 | -6.9% |
| Count | 3,855 | 3,442 | -10.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.31 | 1.15 | -12.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jesse bearers went from 3,855 to 3,442 (-10.7% change). The surname moved down 585 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,536 to #9,121.
FAQ
Jesse surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jesse?
Name Census estimates that about 3,947 living Americans carry the surname Jesse. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 86,839 residents.
How common is Jesse?
Jesse ranks #9,121 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.15 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,442 people with the surname Jesse. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,947), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.15 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.15 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Jesse.
Has Jesse become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jesse went from 3,855 recorded bearers to 3,442. That is a decrease of 413 (-10.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,536 to #9,121.
What does the Census say about the background of Jesse?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jesse, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.3%) and Black (4.8%). 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 Jesse in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.2% (2,831 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jesse appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.2%), Hispanic (5.3%), Black (4.8%). 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 Jesse (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 Jesse mean?
An anglicized form of the Hebrew name Yishai, meaning "God's gift" or "God exists." 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 Jesse (1.15 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 surname Jesse?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.