2000
#2,672
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,419
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.60
Uncommon Last name
Jeter
French occupational surname for a person who throws or casts objects, derived from the Old French verb "jeter".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 14,296 Americans carry the last name Jeter. That puts it at #2,809 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 23,976 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jeter 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
14K
1 in 23,976
Census rank
#2,809
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,467 bearers of the surname Jeter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2809th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jeter, the largest self-reported group is Black at 48.4%. The next largest groups are White (41.8%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jeter
The surname JETER has its origins in France, dating back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "jeter," meaning "to throw" or "to cast." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to an occupation or trade, possibly a person who worked with throwing or casting objects, such as a potter or a fisherman.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname JETER can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings and population in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The entry mentions a landowner named Jeter de Normandie, indicating that the name had already spread from France to England by the 11th century.
In the 13th century, there are records of a family bearing the name JETER residing in the village of Gévaudain, located in the province of Auvergne, France. This area was known for its pottery and ceramic production, lending credence to the theory that the name was originally associated with this trade.
Notable individuals with the surname JETER include Jean JETER (1602-1678), a French explorer and cartographer who mapped parts of the Mississippi River and the Great Lakes region. Another noteworthy figure is Marie-Antoinette JETER (1755-1793), a French aristocrat who was executed during the French Revolution.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the surname JETER dates back to the late 18th century, when a family of Huguenot descent settled in South Carolina. This family produced several prominent figures, including William JETER (1781-1838), a Baptist minister and founder of the Furman Institute, now known as Furman University.
Another notable American with the surname JETER is Derek JETER (born 1974), a former professional baseball player who spent his entire 20-year career with the New York Yankees. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest shortstops in baseball history and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2020.
Throughout its history, the surname JETER has maintained a strong presence in various parts of the world, with notable individuals contributing to fields such as exploration, religion, sports, and more.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jeter
Among Census respondents with the surname Jeter, the largest self-reported group is Black at 48.4%. The next largest groups are White (41.8%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Jeter 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 Jeter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American48.4% · 6,034
- White41.8% · 5,214
- Two or more races5.4% · 676
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 426
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 62
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 55
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jeter
Jeter 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
#2,729
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,198
+779 bearers (+6.3%)
Per 100,000 4.47
Rank movement Down 57 places
2020
#2,809
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,467
-731 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 4.17
Rank movement Down 80 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,672 | 12,419 | 4.60 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,729 | 13,198 | 4.47 | +779 bearers (+6.3%) | Down 57 places |
| 2020 | #2,809 | 12,467 | 4.17 | -731 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 80 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 Jeter 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 | #2,729 | #2,809 | -2.9% |
| Count | 13,198 | 12,467 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 4.47 | 4.17 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jeter bearers went from 13,198 to 12,467 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 80 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,729 to #2,809.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Jeter
FAQ
Jeter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jeter?
Name Census estimates that about 14,296 living Americans carry the surname Jeter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 23,976 residents.
How common is Jeter?
Jeter ranks #2,809 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.17 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 12,467 people with the surname Jeter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (14,296), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.17 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Jeter.
Has Jeter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jeter went from 13,198 recorded bearers to 12,467. That is a decrease of 731 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,729 to #2,809.
What does the Census say about the background of Jeter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jeter, the largest self-reported group is Black at 48.4%. The next largest groups are White (41.8%) and Two or More Races (5.4%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Jeter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 48.4% (6,034 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jeter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (48.4%), White (41.8%), Two or More Races (5.4%). 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 Jeter (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 Jeter mean?
French occupational surname for a person who throws or casts objects, derived from the Old French verb "jeter". 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 Jeter (4.17 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 Jeter?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.