2000
#13,658
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,037
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.76
Rare Last name
Joachim
Derived from the Hebrew name Yehoyaqim, meaning "raised by Yahweh" or "established by Yahweh."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,779 Americans carry the last name Joachim. That puts it at #12,263 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.81 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 123,337 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Joachim 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Joachim with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.8K
1 in 123,337
Census rank
#12,263
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,423 bearers of the surname Joachim in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.81 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12263rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Joachim, the largest self-reported group is White at 53.5%. The next largest groups are Black (37.1%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Joachim
The surname Joachim originated from the Germanic personal name Joachim, which is derived from the Biblical Hebrew name Yehoiakhin or Yoyachin meaning "established by Yahweh". The name gained popularity in Europe during the Middle Ages due to its association with St. Joachim, the father of the Virgin Mary.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Joachim can be found in Germany and the Netherlands, dating back to the 13th and 14th centuries. In some regions, it was also spelled as Joachims, Jochen, or Jochems. The name was particularly prevalent in areas such as Saxony, Bavaria, and the Rhineland.
In England, the surname Joachim appeared in records as early as the 16th century, often in reference to immigrants from the Low Countries or Germany. One notable example is Sir Ralph Joachim (1540-1628), an English merchant and politician of German descent.
The Joachim family played a significant role in the musical history of Germany. Joseph Joachim (1831-1907) was a renowned Hungarian-born violinist and composer who helped establish the Berlin Hochschule für Musik (Berlin University of the Arts). His nephew, Johannes Joachim (1864-1920), was also a respected violinist and conductor.
Another famous bearer of the surname was the German philosopher and theologian Justin Joachim (1786-1860), known for his contributions to the philosophical movement of German Idealism. He was a contemporary of Hegel and Schelling.
In the Netherlands, one of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Joachim is found in the "Oorkondenboek van Holland en Zeeland" (Charter Book of Holland and Zeeland) from the 13th century, which mentions a person named Joachim van Leiden.
The Joachim surname has also been associated with several notable places, such as Joachimsthal (now Jáchymov) in Bohemia, which gave its name to the mineral "Joachimite" and the currency "Joachimsthaler" (later shortened to "Thaler" or "Dollar").
Throughout history, the surname Joachim has been carried by various individuals from different fields, including artists, musicians, scholars, and religious figures, reflecting the widespread influence of this name across Europe and its enduring presence over centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Joachim
Among Census respondents with the surname Joachim, the largest self-reported group is White at 53.5%. The next largest groups are Black (37.1%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Joachim 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 Joachim surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White53.5% · 1,297
- Black or African American37.1% · 898
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 98
- Two or more races3.4% · 82
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 43
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Joachim
Joachim 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
#12,856
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,395
+358 bearers (+17.6%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Up 802 places
2020
#12,263
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,423
+28 bearers (+1.2%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Up 593 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,658 | 2,037 | 0.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,856 | 2,395 | 0.81 | +358 bearers (+17.6%) | Up 802 places |
| 2020 | #12,263 | 2,423 | 0.81 | +28 bearers (+1.2%) | Up 593 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 Joachim 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 | #12,856 | #12,263 | 4.6% |
| Count | 2,395 | 2,423 | 1.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.81 | 0.81 | 0.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Joachim bearers went from 2,395 to 2,423 (+1.2% change). The surname moved up 593 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,856 to #12,263.
FAQ
Joachim surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Joachim?
Name Census estimates that about 2,779 living Americans carry the surname Joachim. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 123,337 residents.
How common is Joachim?
Joachim ranks #12,263 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.81 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,423 people with the surname Joachim. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,779), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.81 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.81 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Joachim.
Has Joachim become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Joachim went from 2,395 recorded bearers to 2,423. That is an increase of 28 (+1.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,856 to #12,263.
What does the Census say about the background of Joachim?
Among Census respondents with the surname Joachim, the largest self-reported group is White at 53.5%. The next largest groups are Black (37.1%) and Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Joachim in the 2020 Census, accounting for 53.5% (1,297 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Joachim appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (53.5%), Black (37.1%), Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Joachim (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 Joachim mean?
Derived from the Hebrew name Yehoyaqim, meaning "raised by Yahweh" or "established by Yahweh." 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 Joachim (0.81 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 have the last name Joachim?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Joachim on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.