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

Jim, 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 Jim surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Jim in America

Jim is the 9203rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Jim surname appeared 3,544 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Jim.

We can also compare 2010 data for Jim 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 Jim

The surname Jim originated in Scotland during the Middle Ages. It is believed to be a shortened form of the Scottish surname Jamieson, which itself is derived from the personal name James. The name James comes from the Hebrew name Jacob, meaning "supplanter" or "heel-grabber".

Jim was first recorded as a surname in the late 13th century, appearing in records from the Scottish counties of Lanarkshire and Ayrshire. The earliest known bearer was William Jim, who was mentioned in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a collection of documents recording the names of Scottish landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England.

In the 15th century, the surname Jim was also found in the English county of Yorkshire, likely due to Scottish migration and settlement in the area. One notable bearer from this time was John Jim, a merchant from the city of York who was mentioned in the city's records in 1472.

The Jim surname is also found in various place names across Scotland, such as Jimtown in Aberdeenshire and Jim's Howe in Orkney. These place names suggest that the surname was well-established in certain areas and may have been derived from the names of early landowners or residents.

Some notable individuals with the surname Jim include:

1. Robert Jim (1587-1655), a Scottish minister and writer who served as the parish minister of Kilwinning from 1614 until his death.
2. James Jim (1640-1706), a Scottish physician and author who wrote several works on medical subjects and natural history.
3. William Jim (1705-1781), a Scottish merchant and landowner who served as the Lord Provost of Edinburgh from 1762 to 1764.
4. John Jim (1812-1886), a Scottish engineer and inventor who patented several improvements to steam engines and other machinery.
5. Mary Jim (1858-1934), a Scottish artist and painter known for her landscapes and portraits of rural life in the Highlands.

While the surname Jim is not as common as some other Scottish surnames, it has a rich history dating back to the Middle Ages and has been borne by notable individuals across various fields throughout the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Jim

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

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

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

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