2000
#12,542
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,266
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.84
Rare Last name
Job
A biblical surname referring to the Old Testament figure known for his patience and endurance during suffering.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,906 Americans carry the last name Job. That puts it at #11,813 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.85 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 117,947 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Job 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 Job with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.9K
1 in 117,947
Census rank
#11,813
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,534 bearers of the surname Job in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.85 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11813th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Job, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.9%. The next largest groups are Black (11.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (11.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Job
The surname Job is of English origin, deriving from the Old French personal name "Job" or "Jobe," which itself comes from the Latin name "Job," meaning "persecuted" or "afflicted." The name ultimately traces its roots back to the Hebrew name "Iyyov," which is the name of the biblical figure Job, known for his resilience in the face of suffering.
The surname Job is first recorded in England in the late 12th century, with one of the earliest known bearers being Adam Job, mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Norfolk in 1191. The name was particularly prevalent in the eastern counties of England during the Middle Ages.
In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, there is a record of a Richard Job in Oxfordshire, suggesting the name's early presence in various parts of the country. The Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1296 list a John Job, further reinforcing the name's widespread use in medieval England.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname Job with a documented date of birth is Thomas Job, born around 1555 in Chittlehampton, Devon. Another notable early bearer was John Job, born in 1610 in Taunton, Somerset, who later emigrated to America and settled in Virginia.
Throughout history, several individuals with the surname Job have achieved notable accomplishments or gained recognition in various fields. One such figure is Samuel Job, a 17th-century English composer and organist who was born in Lydd, Kent, in 1628 and died in 1717.
Another prominent bearer of the surname was Thomas Job, a British military engineer and surveyor who was born in 1742 in Nottinghamshire and served in the American Revolutionary War. He played a significant role in the defense of Fort Stanwix in New York during the Siege of 1777.
In the realm of literature, Gertrude Job, an English novelist and playwright, was born in 1888 and is known for her works such as "The Unborn Child" and "Arabella the Romany."
Sir Salomon Job, born in 1826 in London, was a prominent British businessman and philanthropist who made significant contributions to the development of the city of Bath and its educational institutions.
Lastly, Vere Job, born in 1910 in Sydney, Australia, was a renowned Australian artist and printmaker known for his depictions of urban and industrial landscapes, particularly those of Sydney.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Job
Among Census respondents with the surname Job, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.9%. The next largest groups are Black (11.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (11.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Job 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 Job surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White68.9% · 1,746
- Black or African American11.4% · 290
- Asian and Pacific Islander11.4% · 290
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 117
- Two or more races3.2% · 80
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Job
Job 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
#12,541
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,470
+204 bearers (+9.0%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Up 1 places
2020
#11,813
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,534
+64 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.85
Rank movement Up 728 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,542 | 2,266 | 0.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,541 | 2,470 | 0.84 | +204 bearers (+9.0%) | Up 1 places |
| 2020 | #11,813 | 2,534 | 0.85 | +64 bearers (+2.6%) | Up 728 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 Job 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 | #12,541 | #11,813 | 5.8% |
| Count | 2,470 | 2,534 | 2.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.84 | 0.85 | 0.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Job bearers went from 2,470 to 2,534 (+2.6% change). The surname moved up 728 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,541 to #11,813.
FAQ
Job surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Job?
Name Census estimates that about 2,906 living Americans carry the surname Job. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 117,947 residents.
How common is Job?
Job ranks #11,813 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.85 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 2,534 people with the surname Job. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,906), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.85 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.85 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 Job.
Has Job become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Job went from 2,470 recorded bearers to 2,534. That is an increase of 64 (+2.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,541 to #11,813.
What does the Census say about the background of Job?
Among Census respondents with the surname Job, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.9%. The next largest groups are Black (11.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (11.4%). 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 Job in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.9% (1,746 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Job appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (68.9%), Black (11.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (11.4%). 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 Job (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 Job mean?
A biblical surname referring to the Old Testament figure known for his patience and endurance during suffering. 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 Job (0.85 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 common is the surname Job?
Find out how common the surname Job is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.