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

Joas, 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 Joas surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Joas in America

Joas is the 68770th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Joas surname appeared 286 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 Joas.

We can also compare 2010 data for Joas 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 Joas

The surname JOAS is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval period. It is believed to have originated as a variation of the personal name "Jodocus" or "Josse," which was derived from the Latin name "Judocus." This name gained popularity during the Middle Ages due to the veneration of St. Judoc, a Breton saint from the 7th century.

The earliest recorded instances of the JOAS surname can be found in various historical documents from the 13th and 14th centuries in regions such as Bavaria and Saxony. These early records often feature variations in spelling, including Joas, Joas, Joass, and Joaß, reflecting the fluidity of surname spelling during that era.

One notable historical reference is the mention of a Heinrich Joas in the Klosterneuburger Traditionskodex, a medieval manuscript from the Klosterneuburg Monastery in Austria, dated to the late 12th century. This document recorded land transfers and transactions, indicating that the JOAS name was associated with landownership during this period.

In the 16th century, the JOAS surname gained prominence with the birth of Johannes Joas (1540-1611), a German Lutheran theologian and writer who served as a court preacher in Coburg. His works, including commentaries on biblical texts and polemical writings against the Catholic Church, earned him a reputation as a leading figure in the Lutheran Reformation.

Another notable figure was Johann Joas (1598-1659), a German composer and music theorist from Saxony. He authored several treatises on music theory and composed works for both sacred and secular settings, contributing significantly to the development of Baroque music in Germany.

During the 17th century, the JOAS surname found its way to the Netherlands, where Pieter Joas (1612-1676) was a prominent Dutch Golden Age painter and engraver. His works, which often depicted scenes of everyday life and landscapes, are housed in prestigious collections such as the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

In the 19th century, the JOAS name gained recognition with the birth of Gustav Adolph Joas (1828-1892), a German-American businessman and entrepreneur. He founded the Joas Tobacco Company in St. Louis, Missouri, which became one of the largest manufacturers of chewing tobacco and snuff in the United States during the late 19th century.

Another notable figure was Theodor Joas (1876-1942), a German politician and member of the Bavarian People's Party. He served as the Minister President of Bavaria from 1933 to 1938, playing a significant role in the political landscape of Germany during the turbulent period leading up to and during the early years of World War II.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Joas

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

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

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

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