2000
#124,872
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Jeswald
An English locational surname derived from a place name in Lincolnshire.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Jeswald. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jeswald 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.
Bearers in the US
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Jeswald in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jeswald, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jeswald
The surname Jeswald is believed to have originated in the region of Saxony, Germany, dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old German words "jes" meaning "yew" and "wald" meaning "forest," suggesting that the name may have been initially associated with someone who lived near or worked in a yew forest.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Jeswald can be found in a medieval manuscript from the Cistercian monastery in Lübeck, dated around 1230. The document mentions a landowner named Jeswald von Falkenau, who had granted a portion of his estate to the monastery.
In the 14th century, the name appears in the Bavarian town records of Landshut, where a merchant named Jeswald Eckhart is listed as a member of the local guild. This suggests that the name had spread beyond its original Saxon roots and was becoming more widespread throughout the Germanic regions.
During the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the name was Jeswald Hartmann, a lutheran theologian and professor at the University of Wittenberg, who was born in 1512 and died in 1578. His writings and teachings had a significant influence on the Protestant Reformation in Germany.
Another prominent individual with the surname Jeswald was Johann Jeswald, a German military commander who served under the Holy Roman Emperor during the Thirty Years' War in the early 17th century. He was born in 1592 and played a crucial role in several battles against the Swedish forces.
In the 18th century, the name appears in connection with a renowned artist, Friedrich Jeswald, who was born in 1737 in Dresden. He was known for his intricate landscape paintings and was commissioned by several noble families in the region.
As the centuries passed, the surname Jeswald continued to be represented in various fields, including academia, literature, and politics. Notable examples include the 19th-century German philosopher Ernst Jeswald and the 20th-century Austrian novelist and playwright, Helene Jeswald.
Overall, the surname Jeswald has a rich history rooted in the Germanic regions of Europe, particularly in Saxony and Bavaria. Its origins can be traced back to the Middle Ages, and it has been carried by individuals who have made significant contributions across diverse areas throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jeswald
Among Census respondents with the surname Jeswald, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Jeswald 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 Jeswald surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 111
- Two or more races4.1% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jeswald
Jeswald 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
#123,064
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 140
+13 bearers (+10.2%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 1,808 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-19 bearers (-13.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 18,245 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,872 | 127 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #123,064 | 140 | 0.05 | +13 bearers (+10.2%) | Up 1,808 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | -19 bearers (-13.6%) | Down 18,245 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 Jeswald 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 | #123,064 | #141,309 | -14.8% |
| Count | 140 | 121 | -13.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -19.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jeswald bearers went from 140 to 121 (-13.6% change). The surname moved down 18,245 positions in the national ranking, going from #123,064 to #141,309.
FAQ
Jeswald surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jeswald?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Jeswald. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Jeswald?
Jeswald ranks #141,309 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 121 people with the surname Jeswald. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Jeswald.
Has Jeswald become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jeswald went from 140 recorded bearers to 121. That is a decrease of 19 (-13.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #123,064 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Jeswald?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jeswald, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Jeswald in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (111 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jeswald appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Two or More Races (4.1%), Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Jeswald (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 Jeswald mean?
An English locational surname derived from a place name in Lincolnshire. 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 Jeswald (0.04 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 Jeswald?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.