2010
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Jimnez
A surname originating from a Spanish variation of James.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Jimnez. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jimnez 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Jimnez in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jimnez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.1%. The next largest groups are White (2.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jimnez
The surname Jimenez has its origins in Spain, where it first emerged during the medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish given name Jimeno, which is a variant of the Germanic name Semeno or Simeone. This name ultimately traces its roots back to the Hebrew name Shim'on or Simon.
Jimenez is a patronymic surname, meaning it was originally formed by adding the suffix "-ez" to the given name Jimeno, indicating "son of Jimeno." This naming convention was common in Spain and other parts of the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Jimenez can be found in the Cartulario de San Millán de la Cogolla, a cartulary or manuscript collection of documents from the monastery of San Millán de la Cogolla in La Rioja, Spain. This cartulary, dating back to the 10th century, includes references to individuals bearing the name Jimenez.
In the 12th century, the name appears in the Fuero de Sepúlveda, a legal code or charter granted to the town of Sepúlveda in the province of Segovia. This document mentions several individuals with the surname Jimenez, indicating the widespread use of the name in that region during that time period.
One notable bearer of the surname Jimenez was Rodrigo Jiménez de Rada (c. 1170-1247), a Spanish historian, politician, and Archbishop of Toledo. He is best known for his work Historia de rebus Hispaniæ, a chronicle of Spanish history from ancient times to the 13th century.
Another prominent figure with the surname Jimenez was Juan Ramón Jiménez (1881-1958), a Spanish poet and scholar who received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1956 for his lyrical poetry.
Other notable individuals with the surname Jimenez include:
- Diego Jiménez de Ayllon (c. 1480-1538), a Spanish explorer and navigator who led expeditions to the present-day United States.
- Juan Jiménez (c. 1300-1350), a Spanish poet and author who wrote in the Galician-Portuguese language.
- Gaspar Jiménez de Cisneros (1460-1517), a Spanish cardinal and statesman who served as the regent of Spain during the early reign of Charles V.
- Cándida Jiménez (1893-1965), a Spanish painter and sculptor known for her portraiture and contributions to the Catalan Modernist movement.
The surname Jimenez has also been associated with various place names in Spain, such as Villanueva de Jiménez in the province of Jaén, and Jimena de la Frontera in the province of Cádiz, which likely derived their names from individuals bearing the surname Jimenez.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jimnez
Among Census respondents with the surname Jimnez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.1%. The next largest groups are White (2.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Jimnez 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 Jimnez surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino94.1% · 111
- White2.5% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.5% · 3
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jimnez
Jimnez appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+11 bearers (+10.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 9,117 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+10.3%) | Up 9,117 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 Jimnez 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 | #152,628 | #143,511 | 6.0% |
| Count | 107 | 118 | 10.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jimnez bearers went from 107 to 118 (+10.3% change). The surname moved up 9,117 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #143,511.
FAQ
Jimnez surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jimnez?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Jimnez. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Jimnez?
Jimnez ranks #143,511 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 118 people with the surname Jimnez. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), 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 Jimnez.
Has Jimnez become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jimnez went from 107 recorded bearers to 118. That is an increase of 11 (+10.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #152,628 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Jimnez?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jimnez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.1%. The next largest groups are White (2.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%). 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 Jimnez in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.1% (111 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jimnez appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (94.1%), White (2.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%). 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 Jimnez (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 Jimnez mean?
A surname originating from a Spanish variation of James. 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 Jimnez (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 people are called Jimnez?
You can see how common the surname Jimnez is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.