2000
#124,109
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Joins
Of French origin, denoting someone who lived near a junction or crossroads.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Joins. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Joins 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 Joins with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Joins in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Joins, the largest self-reported group is White at 56.2%. The next largest groups are Black (37.1%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Joins
The surname JOINS is of English origin and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "joiner," which referred to a skilled woodworker or carpenter who specialized in joining pieces of wood together.
The name was initially concentrated in the southern counties of England, particularly in areas with a thriving timber industry and woodworking traditions, such as Kent, Sussex, and Hampshire. Some early variants of the spelling include "Joyner," "Joynier," and "Joignour."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name JOINS appears in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where a certain William le Joynour is mentioned as a resident of Oxfordshire. This medieval document was a survey of landholdings and demographic information in various English counties.
By the 15th century, the JOINS surname had spread to other regions of England, and it is found in various historical records, such as parish registers and tax rolls. Notable individuals bearing this name include John Joins (c. 1545-1598), a prominent English architect and joiner who worked on several notable buildings, including the Bodleian Library in Oxford.
Another notable figure was Thomas Joins (1611-1678), an English Puritan minister and author who wrote several influential theological works. In the 18th century, Samuel Joins (1728-1804) was a respected cabinetmaker and furniture designer in London, known for his elegant and innovative designs.
The JOINS surname also appears in the records of the East India Company, with William Joins (1790-1856) serving as a captain in the company's maritime fleet. He was commended for his bravery and leadership during several voyages to India and the Far East.
In the 19th century, Charles Joins (1823-1901) was a prominent English architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Royal Albert Hall and the Natural History Museum. He was also involved in the restoration of several historic churches and cathedrals throughout England.
While the JOINS surname has endured over the centuries, its origins can be traced back to the skilled woodworkers and craftsmen who played a vital role in shaping the architectural and cultural landscape of medieval and early modern England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Joins
Among Census respondents with the surname Joins, the largest self-reported group is White at 56.2%. The next largest groups are Black (37.1%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Joins 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 Joins surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White56.2% · 59
- Black or African American37.1% · 39
- Two or more races3.8% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Joins
Joins 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
#117,480
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 148
+20 bearers (+15.6%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 6,629 places
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-43 bearers (-29.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 35,509 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,109 | 128 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #117,480 | 148 | 0.05 | +20 bearers (+15.6%) | Up 6,629 places |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -43 bearers (-29.1%) | Down 35,509 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 Joins 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 | #117,480 | #152,989 | -30.2% |
| Count | 148 | 105 | -29.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -29.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Joins bearers went from 148 to 105 (-29.1% change). The surname moved down 35,509 positions in the national ranking, going from #117,480 to #152,989.
FAQ
Joins surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Joins?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Joins. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Joins?
Joins ranks #152,989 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 105 people with the surname Joins. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), 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 Joins.
Has Joins become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Joins went from 148 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 43 (-29.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #117,480 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Joins?
Among Census respondents with the surname Joins, the largest self-reported group is White at 56.2%. The next largest groups are Black (37.1%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Joins in the 2020 Census, accounting for 56.2% (59 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Joins appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (56.2%), Black (37.1%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Joins (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 Joins mean?
Of French origin, denoting someone who lived near a junction or crossroads. 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 Joins (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 have the last name Joins?
Want to know how common the surname Joins is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.