2010
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Jonesbey
A habitational surname derived from a place name in England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Jonesbey. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jonesbey 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Jonesbey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jonesbey, the largest self-reported group is Black at 69.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (19.8%) and White (7.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jonesbey
The surname JONESBEY is of English origin, believed to have emerged in the 12th century from the county of Norfolk. It is thought to derive from the Old English words "Johnes" and "bie," which translate to "John's settlement" or "John's village." The name likely originated as a descriptive term for someone who lived in a particular area associated with a person named John.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the JONESBEY surname appears in the Pipe Rolls of Norfolk from 1195, which lists a certain Willelmus de Jonesbey as a landowner in the region. This suggests the name had already become an established surname by the late 12th century.
In the 14th century, the JONESBEY name can be found in various historical documents, including the Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk from 1327, which mention a Robert de Jonesbey, and the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Norfolk from 1334, which list a John Jonesbey.
Historical records indicate that the JONESBEY surname was particularly prevalent in the villages and towns of East Anglia, including Norfolk, Suffolk, and Cambridgeshire. It is likely that the name originated in one of these areas before spreading to other parts of England over time.
Notable individuals with the JONESBEY surname throughout history include:
1. William Jonesbey (c. 1420 - 1492), a merchant and alderman from Norwich, Norfolk, who served as the city's mayor in 1475.
2. Margaret Jonesbey (c. 1520 - 1587), a landowner and philanthropist from Ipswich, Suffolk, who donated funds for the establishment of a free grammar school in the town.
3. Thomas Jonesbey (1625 - 1699), a Puritan minister and author from Cambridgeshire, known for his work "A Treatise on Christian Doctrine."
4. Elizabeth Jonesbey (1745 - 1812), a pioneering educator from Norfolk who founded one of the earliest schools for girls in the region.
5. John Jonesbey (1810 - 1892), a successful industrialist from Birmingham, who played a significant role in the development of the city's manufacturing industry during the 19th century.
While the JONESBEY surname is not among the most common in England today, it has a rich history dating back to the Middle Ages and has been borne by notable individuals across various fields throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jonesbey
Among Census respondents with the surname Jonesbey, the largest self-reported group is Black at 69.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (19.8%) and White (7.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Jonesbey 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 Jonesbey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American69.8% · 74
- Two or more races19.8% · 21
- White7.5% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jonesbey
Jonesbey 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
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,430 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Up 1,430 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 Jonesbey 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 | #153,769 | #152,339 | 0.9% |
| Count | 106 | 106 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jonesbey bearers went from 106 to 106 (+0.0% change). The surname moved up 1,430 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #152,339.
FAQ
Jonesbey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jonesbey?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Jonesbey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Jonesbey?
Jonesbey ranks #152,339 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 106 people with the surname Jonesbey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), 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 Jonesbey.
Has Jonesbey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jonesbey went from 106 recorded bearers to 106. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #153,769 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Jonesbey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jonesbey, the largest self-reported group is Black at 69.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (19.8%) and White (7.5%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Jonesbey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.8% (74 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jonesbey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (69.8%), Two or More Races (19.8%), White (7.5%). 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 Jonesbey (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 Jonesbey mean?
A habitational surname derived from a place name in England. 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 Jonesbey (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 Jonesbey?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Jonesbey at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.