2010
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Jessiman
A Lowland Scottish surname derived from the given name Jessamine.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Jessiman. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jessiman 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 Jessiman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Jessiman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jessiman, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.8%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jessiman
The surname Jessiman has its origins in Scotland, tracing back to the late 16th century. It is believed to be a variant of the name Jessieman, which was derived from the Old Scots word "jesy" meaning "a guiser or masker." The suffix "-man" was commonly added to occupational surnames during that time period.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Jessiman can be found in the records of the Burgh of Canongate, Edinburgh, in 1587, where a William Jessiman is mentioned. This indicates that the name was already established in the Edinburgh area by the late 16th century.
In the 17th century, the Jessiman surname appears in various Scottish records, including the Register of the Privy Council of Scotland in 1628, where a John Jessiman is mentioned as a resident of Linlithgow. Additionally, a William Jessiman is recorded in the Parish of St. Cuthbert's, Edinburgh, in 1655.
During the 18th century, the Jessiman surname continued to be prevalent in Scotland, with notable individuals such as James Jessiman (1736-1804), a Scottish minister and author, and Robert Jessiman (1784-1862), a Scottish architect who designed several notable buildings in Edinburgh.
In the 19th century, the Jessiman surname began to spread beyond Scotland, with individuals bearing this name appearing in various parts of the British Empire. For example, John Jessiman (1826-1899) was a prominent businessman and politician in Victoria, Australia, serving as a member of the Legislative Council of Victoria.
Another notable figure was William Jessiman (1825-1903), a Scottish-born engineer who played a significant role in the construction of the Suez Canal in Egypt. He later became the Chief Inspector of Public Works in India, where he oversaw the construction of several important infrastructure projects.
As the Jessiman family dispersed throughout the world, variations in the spelling of the surname emerged, such as Jessaman, Jessamen, and Jessamine. However, the predominant spelling remained Jessiman, particularly in areas with strong Scottish heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jessiman
Among Census respondents with the surname Jessiman, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.8%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Jessiman 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 Jessiman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.3% · 89
- Two or more races7.8% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.0% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jessiman
Jessiman 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
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-11 bearers (-9.7%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 8,554 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -11 bearers (-9.7%) | Down 8,554 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 Jessiman 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 | #146,201 | #154,755 | -5.9% |
| Count | 113 | 102 | -9.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jessiman bearers went from 113 to 102 (-9.7% change). The surname moved down 8,554 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #154,755.
FAQ
Jessiman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jessiman?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Jessiman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Jessiman?
Jessiman ranks #154,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 102 people with the surname Jessiman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Jessiman.
Has Jessiman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jessiman went from 113 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 11 (-9.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Jessiman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jessiman, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.8%) and Hispanic (2.0%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Jessiman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.3% (89 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jessiman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.3%), Two or More Races (7.8%), Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Jessiman (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 Jessiman mean?
A Lowland Scottish surname derived from the given name Jessamine. 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 Jessiman (0.03 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 share the surname Jessiman?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.