Jesson last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Jesson

A variant of the surname 'Jesse', derived from the biblical name 'Jesse'.

Jesson, 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 Jesson surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Jesson in America

Jesson is the 52851st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Jesson surname appeared 392 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Jesson.

We can also compare 2010 data for Jesson 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 52851 49366 6.82%
Count 392 400 -2.02%
Proportion per 100k 0.13 0.15 -14.29%

The history of the last name Jesson

The surname Jesson has its origins in England, arising in the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the medieval given name Jesse, which itself comes from the Hebrew name Yishay, meaning "gift" or "wealthy." The Jesson surname arose as a patronymic, indicating the person was the son of Jesse or a variant spelling.

Early recordings of the name can be found in historical records such as the Hundred Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1273, where a William Jesses is listed. The Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1296 also mention a John Gesse. These variations in spelling were common in the development of surnames during the Middle Ages.

One notable early bearer of the name was John Jesson, born around 1520 in Wolverhampton, Staffordshire. He served as a member of parliament for Coventry in 1553 and was also a successful merchant and landowner in the area.

Another significant figure was Thomas Jesson, born in 1636 in Staffordshire. He was a prominent Puritan minister and author, known for his work "The Scripture Weighing All Opinions and Traditions" published in 1674.

In the 18th century, William Jesson, born in 1737 in Staffordshire, was a notable industrialist and entrepreneur. He established a successful pottery business and was involved in the early development of the industrial revolution in the area.

The Jesson surname has also been associated with various place names, such as Jesson's Hill in Staffordshire, which likely derived its name from an early landholder with the Jesson surname.

Other notable individuals with the Jesson surname include:

  1. Henry Jesson (1768-1830), an English architect known for his work on several churches in Staffordshire.
  2. Thomas Jesson (1805-1876), a British engineer and inventor who developed improvements in the design of steam engines.
  3. Mary Jesson (1824-1892), an English artist and painter known for her landscapes and portraits.
  4. William Jesson (1850-1920), a British trade unionist and politician who served as a member of parliament for St. Pancras West from 1885 to 1900.
  5. Robert Jesson (1917-1999), a British actor and playwright who appeared in several television and film productions in the mid-20th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Jesson

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

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 Jesson was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 87.24% 342
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 3.83% 15
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 3.06% 12
Hispanic Origin 5.61% 22

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 Jesson has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 87.24% 88.75% -1.72%
Black (S)% 1.50% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander 3.83% 4.00% -4.34%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races 3.06% 4.00% -26.63%
Hispanic 5.61% (S)% (S)%

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

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

Reference this page

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"Jesson last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/jesson-surname-popularity/.

"Jesson last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/jesson-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 November, 2024

Jesson last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/jesson-surname-popularity/.

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