2000
#6,450
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,855
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.80
Rare Last name
Jorge
A Spanish and Portuguese surname derived from the given name Jorge, which is equivalent to the English name George.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,142 Americans carry the last name Jorge. That puts it at #5,406 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 47,991 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jorge 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 Jorge with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.1K
1 in 47,991
Census rank
#5,406
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,228 bearers of the surname Jorge in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5406th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jorge, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 72.3%. The next largest groups are White (20.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jorge
The surname Jorge has its origins in the Iberian Peninsula, specifically in Portugal and Spain, during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the given name Jorge, which in turn comes from the Greek name Georgios, meaning "farmer" or "earth-worker."
Jorge was first used as a surname in the 12th century, during the Christian Reconquista of the Iberian Peninsula from the Moors. As Christian kingdoms expanded, surnames became more widespread, and many individuals adopted Jorge as their family name, either because of their occupation as farmers or because it was their given name.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Jorge can be found in the Libro de las Behetrías de Castilla, a 14th-century manuscript that documented the landholdings and territories of Castile. This document mentions several individuals with the surname Jorge, indicating its presence in various regions of Spain during that time.
The surname Jorge also has connections to various place names in Portugal and Spain. For example, the town of Jorges, located in the province of Toledo, Spain, likely took its name from the Jorge family who may have been landowners or prominent residents in the area.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Jorge. One such figure was João Jorge, a 15th-century Portuguese explorer who accompanied Vasco da Gama on his famous voyage to India in 1497-1499. Another notable bearer of the name was Álvaro Jorge, a 16th-century Portuguese composer who contributed to the development of Renaissance music in Portugal.
In Spain, the Jorge family produced several distinguished individuals, including Diego Jorge de Villalobos, a 16th-century physician and author who wrote a notable book on the treatment of syphilis. Another prominent figure was Miguel Jorge, a 17th-century Spanish painter known for his religious works and portraiture.
The surname Jorge has also been associated with notable individuals in other parts of the world, such as Jorge Luis Borges, the acclaimed 20th-century Argentine writer and poet, who was born in 1899 and died in 1986.
While the surname Jorge has its roots in the Iberian Peninsula, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including Latin America, where it is still commonly found today.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jorge
Among Census respondents with the surname Jorge, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 72.3%. The next largest groups are White (20.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Jorge 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 Jorge surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino72.3% · 4,505
- White20.8% · 1,296
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.4% · 214
- Black or African American2.6% · 159
- Two or more races0.7% · 43
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jorge
Jorge 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
#5,573
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,236
+1,381 bearers (+28.4%)
Per 100,000 2.11
Rank movement Up 877 places
2020
#5,406
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,228
-8 bearers (-0.1%)
Per 100,000 2.08
Rank movement Up 167 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,450 | 4,855 | 1.80 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,573 | 6,236 | 2.11 | +1,381 bearers (+28.4%) | Up 877 places |
| 2020 | #5,406 | 6,228 | 2.08 | -8 bearers (-0.1%) | Up 167 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 Jorge 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 | #5,573 | #5,406 | 3.0% |
| Count | 6,236 | 6,228 | -0.1% |
| Per 100K | 2.11 | 2.08 | -1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jorge bearers went from 6,236 to 6,228 (-0.1% change). The surname moved up 167 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,573 to #5,406.
FAQ
Jorge surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jorge?
Name Census estimates that about 7,142 living Americans carry the surname Jorge. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 47,991 residents.
How common is Jorge?
Jorge ranks #5,406 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.08 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,228 people with the surname Jorge. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,142), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.08 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Jorge.
Has Jorge become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jorge went from 6,236 recorded bearers to 6,228. That is a decrease of 8 (-0.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,573 to #5,406.
What does the Census say about the background of Jorge?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jorge, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 72.3%. The next largest groups are White (20.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Jorge in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.3% (4,505 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jorge appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (72.3%), White (20.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%). 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 Jorge (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 Jorge mean?
A Spanish and Portuguese surname derived from the given name Jorge, which is equivalent to the English name George. 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 Jorge (2.08 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 Jorge?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Jorge on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.