2010
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Jornlin
A surname derived from the Swedish word "jörnlin" meaning a steed or warhorse.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 116 Americans carry the last name Jornlin. That puts it at #155,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,954,779 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jornlin 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
116
1 in 2,954,779
Census rank
#155,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
101
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 101 bearers of the surname Jornlin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jornlin, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jornlin
The surname JORNLIN is believed to have originated in the remote valleys of the Swiss Alps during the late 15th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old Swiss-German word "jorn", meaning a small mountain stream or brook. The suffix "-lin" was a common diminutive ending in this region, suggesting the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a small stream or brook.
One of the earliest known references to the name JORNLIN can be found in a land registry document from the village of Grindelwald, dated 1492. The record mentions a farmer named Hans JORNLIN and his family. This suggests the name had already been established in the region by the late 15th century.
Throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, the JORNLIN name appeared sporadically in various Swiss records, often associated with rural farming communities in the mountainous regions of the Bernese Oberland. In 1589, a man named Jost JORNLIN was recorded as a landowner in the village of Lauterbrunnen.
By the late 17th century, some members of the JORNLIN family had begun to migrate to other parts of Europe. In 1687, a man named Jakob JORNLIN was listed as a resident of the city of Strasbourg, in present-day France. This is one of the earliest known instances of the name appearing outside of Switzerland.
One notable figure in JORNLIN history was a Swiss clockmaker named Hans JORNLIN, born in 1725 in the town of Meiringen. He is credited with developing several innovative timekeeping mechanisms and was highly regarded for his craftsmanship. His work is still celebrated in the region today.
Another prominent JORNLIN was a Swiss poet and philosopher named Johann Jakob JORNLIN, who lived from 1771 to 1848. He is best known for his poetic works exploring the natural beauty of the Swiss Alps and the cultural traditions of the region.
In the late 18th century, a man named Kaspar JORNLIN made a name for himself as a skilled Alpine guide and mountaineer. He was instrumental in leading some of the earliest recorded ascents of several iconic Swiss peaks, including the Jungfrau and the Eiger.
As the JORNLIN family continued to grow and disperse throughout Europe in the 19th and early 20th centuries, variations in spelling and pronunciation began to emerge. Some of the recorded variations include JORNLINE, JORNLEIN, and JORNLING, among others.
While the JORNLIN surname has become less common in modern times, it remains deeply rooted in the rich cultural heritage of the Swiss Alpine regions, where it originated centuries ago as a humble name associated with the rugged mountain landscapes and pastoral way of life.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jornlin
Among Census respondents with the surname Jornlin, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Jornlin 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 Jornlin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.0% · 99
- Two or more races2.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jornlin
Jornlin 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
#155,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-3 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 774 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #155,270 | 101 | 0.03 | -3 bearers (-2.9%) | Up 774 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 Jornlin 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 | #156,044 | #155,270 | 0.5% |
| Count | 104 | 101 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -15.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jornlin bearers went from 104 to 101 (-2.9% change). The surname moved up 774 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #155,270.
FAQ
Jornlin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jornlin?
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the surname Jornlin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,954,779 residents.
How common is Jornlin?
Jornlin ranks #155,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 101 people with the surname Jornlin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (116), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Jornlin.
Has Jornlin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jornlin went from 104 recorded bearers to 101. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #155,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Jornlin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jornlin, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Jornlin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.0% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jornlin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.0%), Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Jornlin (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 Jornlin mean?
A surname derived from the Swedish word "jörnlin" meaning a steed or warhorse. 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 Jornlin (0.03 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 surname Jornlin?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.