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

Jews, 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 Jews surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Jews in America

Jews is the 126765th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Jews surname appeared 135 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 Jews.

We can also compare 2010 data for Jews 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.

The history of the last name Jews

The surname "Jews" is believed to have originated in England during the Middle Ages. It is thought to be a toponymic surname, meaning it was derived from a place name. In this case, it is likely that the name came from the village of Yew in Somerset, England. The name of the village is derived from the Old English word "iw," meaning "yew tree."

One of the earliest recorded instances of this surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1195, where a person named William Jews is mentioned. This indicates that the name was already in use by the late 12th century.

In the 13th century, the surname appeared in various records, including the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1279, which mentioned a Richard le Jeu. The prefix "le" was commonly used in medieval times to indicate a person's place of origin or occupation.

Throughout the centuries, the surname has undergone various spelling variations, such as Jew, Jewe, Jeuws, and Jewes. These variations were common due to inconsistent spelling conventions and regional dialects in England during the Middle Ages.

One notable bearer of this surname was John Jews, a member of the English Parliament who represented Devizes in Wiltshire in 1593.

Another prominent figure was Sir Thomas Jew (1592-1672), an English lawyer and Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire in the 17th century. He served as a judge and was appointed a Serjeant-at-Law in 1640.

In the 18th century, a person named John Jews (1709-1788) was a notable clockmaker from London. His clocks and watches were highly regarded for their quality and craftsmanship.

During the 19th century, a family with the surname Jews was involved in the wool trade in Yorkshire, England. One member, William Jews (1823-1901), became a successful wool merchant and was known for his philanthropic efforts in the region.

Another notable bearer of this surname was Sir George Arbuthnot Jews (1856-1940), a British businessman and financier who founded the investment firm Jews & Co. in London.

It's important to note that while the surname "Jews" may have originated from a place name, it is not directly related to the religious or ethnic group of the same name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Jews

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

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 Jews was:

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

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

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

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