2000
#15,286
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,765
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.65
Rare Last name
Jesus
A surname derived from the Greek name Iesous, meaning "Yahweh is salvation," popularized by Jesus Christ.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,631 Americans carry the last name Jesus. That puts it at #12,817 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.77 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 130,275 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jesus 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 Jesus with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.6K
1 in 130,275
Census rank
#12,817
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,294 bearers of the surname Jesus in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.77 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12817th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jesus, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 54.1%. The next largest groups are White (26.5%) and Black (5.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jesus
The surname JESUS is of Spanish origin, derived from the personal name Jesus, which is the Spanish form of the Latin name Iesus, ultimately from the Greek Ιησους (Iēsous), which was based on the Hebrew name Yeshua/Y'shua, meaning "Yahweh is salvation". The name became popular in Spain and other Spanish-speaking regions due to the spread of Christianity.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname JESUS can be traced back to the 16th century in Spain. It is believed that the surname was initially adopted by individuals who were born or baptized on Christmas Day, as the name Jesus is closely associated with the birth of Jesus Christ.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname JESUS was Juan de Jesus, a Spanish Catholic priest and writer who lived in the late 16th century (c. 1545-1615). Another notable figure was Tomás de Jesus, a Spanish Catholic missionary who worked in the Philippines in the early 17th century (c. 1564-1628).
In the 17th century, the surname JESUS appeared in various records across Spanish-speaking regions, including in Mexico and parts of South America. For example, Diego de Jesus, a Mexican Catholic missionary and linguist, lived in the mid-17th century (c. 1628-1696).
As the name spread throughout the Spanish Empire, variations and spellings emerged, such as Jesús, Jessús, and Xesús. One notable figure with the surname Xesús was Xesús Ferro Couselo, a Galician writer and journalist who lived in the early 20th century (1886-1975).
Another individual with the surname JESUS was María de Jesús de Ágreda, a Spanish mystic and writer who lived in the 17th century (1602-1665). Her writings on spiritual matters and her alleged bilocation abilities made her a prominent figure in her time.
While the surname JESUS is primarily associated with Spanish-speaking regions, it has also been adopted by individuals in other parts of the world, particularly in areas with a strong Catholic or Christian influence.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jesus
Among Census respondents with the surname Jesus, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 54.1%. The next largest groups are White (26.5%) and Black (5.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Jesus 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 Jesus surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino54.1% · 1,242
- White26.5% · 608
- Black or African American5.8% · 133
- American Indian and Alaska Native5.3% · 122
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.0% · 114
- Two or more races3.3% · 75
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jesus
Jesus 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
#14,636
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,033
+268 bearers (+15.2%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Up 650 places
2020
#12,817
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,294
+261 bearers (+12.8%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Up 1,819 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,286 | 1,765 | 0.65 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,636 | 2,033 | 0.69 | +268 bearers (+15.2%) | Up 650 places |
| 2020 | #12,817 | 2,294 | 0.77 | +261 bearers (+12.8%) | Up 1,819 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 Jesus 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 | #14,636 | #12,817 | 12.4% |
| Count | 2,033 | 2,294 | 12.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.69 | 0.77 | 11.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jesus bearers went from 2,033 to 2,294 (+12.8% change). The surname moved up 1,819 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,636 to #12,817.
FAQ
Jesus surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jesus?
Name Census estimates that about 2,631 living Americans carry the surname Jesus. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 130,275 residents.
How common is Jesus?
Jesus ranks #12,817 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.77 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 2,294 people with the surname Jesus. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,631), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.77 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.77 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 Jesus.
Has Jesus become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jesus went from 2,033 recorded bearers to 2,294. That is an increase of 261 (+12.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,636 to #12,817.
What does the Census say about the background of Jesus?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jesus, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 54.1%. The next largest groups are White (26.5%) and Black (5.8%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Jesus in the 2020 Census, accounting for 54.1% (1,242 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jesus appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (54.1%), White (26.5%), Black (5.8%). 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 Jesus (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 Jesus mean?
A surname derived from the Greek name Iesous, meaning "Yahweh is salvation," popularized by Jesus Christ. 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 Jesus (0.77 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 Jesus?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.