2000
#4,615
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,028
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.61
Rare Last name
Jessup
Derived from a place name meaning "Joseph's hope" in Hebrew, or from a variant of the given name Joseph.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,523 Americans carry the last name Jessup. That puts it at #5,153 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.19 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 45,561 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jessup 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 Jessup with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.5K
1 in 45,561
Census rank
#5,153
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,560 bearers of the surname Jessup in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.19 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5153rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jessup, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.9%. The next largest groups are Black (12.5%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jessup
The surname Jessup is of English origin, with roots that can be traced back to the medieval era. It is believed to have originated as a locational name, derived from a place called Jessop or Jessup, likely in the county of Derbyshire. The name is thought to have evolved from the Old English words "gesc" meaning a small stream or brook, and "hop" meaning a small valley or hollow, suggesting that the original bearers of this name hailed from a settlement near a brook or stream in a small valley.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Jessup can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The entry in the Domesday Book refers to a person named "Radulfus de Jessope" or Ralph of Jessop.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various records with spellings such as "Jessoppe," "Jessop," and "Jessup." During this period, a notable figure bearing this name was Sir William Jessup (c. 1245-1305), a knight who participated in the Crusades and fought alongside King Edward I in the conquest of Wales.
Another prominent individual with the surname Jessup was John Jessup (c. 1560-1623), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge from 1609 to 1610. He was also the author of several theological works and was known for his expertise in biblical languages.
In the 17th century, the name Jessup gained further recognition with the exploits of Edward Jessup (1617-1662), an English soldier and adventurer who played a significant role in the English Civil War. He fought for the Parliamentarian forces and was appointed as the Governor of Stafford after the Royalists were defeated.
During the colonial era, the Jessup surname was carried to the American colonies by several early settlers, including Thomas Jessup, who arrived in Massachusetts in 1635, and Edward Jessup, who settled in Long Island, New York, in the late 17th century. These early colonists and their descendants contributed to the spread and establishment of the Jessup name in the New World.
Another noteworthy figure was William Jessup (1794-1868), an American missionary and educator who founded the Jessup Female Seminary in Westchester County, New York, in 1839. This institution later became known as the Jessup College for Women and played a significant role in promoting women's education.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jessup
Among Census respondents with the surname Jessup, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.9%. The next largest groups are Black (12.5%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Jessup 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 Jessup surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.9% · 5,178
- Black or African American12.5% · 821
- Two or more races3.8% · 246
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 233
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 48
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 34
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jessup
Jessup 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
#5,037
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,964
-64 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 2.36
Rank movement Down 422 places
2020
#5,153
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,560
-404 bearers (-5.8%)
Per 100,000 2.19
Rank movement Down 116 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,615 | 7,028 | 2.61 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,037 | 6,964 | 2.36 | -64 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 422 places |
| 2020 | #5,153 | 6,560 | 2.19 | -404 bearers (-5.8%) | Down 116 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 Jessup 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 | #5,037 | #5,153 | -2.3% |
| Count | 6,964 | 6,560 | -5.8% |
| Per 100K | 2.36 | 2.19 | -7.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jessup bearers went from 6,964 to 6,560 (-5.8% change). The surname moved down 116 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,037 to #5,153.
FAQ
Jessup surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jessup?
Name Census estimates that about 7,523 living Americans carry the surname Jessup. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 45,561 residents.
How common is Jessup?
Jessup ranks #5,153 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.19 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,560 people with the surname Jessup. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,523), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.19 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.19 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Jessup.
Has Jessup become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jessup went from 6,964 recorded bearers to 6,560. That is a decrease of 404 (-5.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,037 to #5,153.
What does the Census say about the background of Jessup?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jessup, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.9%. The next largest groups are Black (12.5%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Jessup in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.9% (5,178 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jessup appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.9%), Black (12.5%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Jessup (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 Jessup mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "Joseph's hope" in Hebrew, or from a variant of the given name Joseph. 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 Jessup (2.19 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 Jessup?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.