2000
#7,721
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,972
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.47
Rare Last name
Jost
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) surname derived from the given name Jodocus, meaning "fighter of the people."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,518 Americans carry the last name Jost. That puts it at #8,062 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.32 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 75,864 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jost 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
4.5K
1 in 75,864
Census rank
#8,062
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,940 bearers of the surname Jost in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.32 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8062nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jost, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jost
The surname Jost originated in Germany and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the medieval German personal name Jodocus or Jost, which was a German form of the Latin name Judocus. This name ultimately stems from the Hebrew name Judah, meaning "praised."
The earliest recorded instances of the Jost surname can be found in German church records and municipal archives from the 13th and 14th centuries. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Jost von Lassewitz, a German knight who lived in the late 13th century and was mentioned in historical documents from the region of Saxony.
In the 15th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as Jost, Joest, and Jöst, in records from various German regions, including Bavaria, Swabia, and the Rhineland. For example, Jost von Münsterberg, a Silesian prince and Duke of Münsterberg, lived from 1432 to 1467.
The Jost surname has also been associated with several notable figures throughout history. One of the most famous was Isaac Jost, a German Jewish historian and scholar who lived from 1793 to 1860 and wrote extensively on Jewish history and culture.
Another prominent bearer of the name was Johann Jost Raussendorf, a German artist and engraver who lived from 1668 to 1733 and was known for his intricate etchings and engravings of landscapes and cityscapes.
In the 19th century, the Jost surname was also carried by several notable individuals, including Johann Jost Schmid, a Swiss theologian and author who lived from 1813 to 1888, and Johann Jost Hinrich Müller, a German mathematician and astronomer who lived from 1839 to 1917.
While the Jost surname has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of Europe and the world due to migration and historical events. Today, the name can be found in various countries, although it remains most prevalent in German-speaking regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jost
Among Census respondents with the surname Jost, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Jost 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 Jost surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 3,642
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 131
- Two or more races2.7% · 107
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 33
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 17
- Black or African American0.3% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jost
Jost 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
#8,076
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,104
+132 bearers (+3.3%)
Per 100,000 1.39
Rank movement Down 355 places
2020
#8,062
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,940
-164 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 1.32
Rank movement Up 14 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,721 | 3,972 | 1.47 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,076 | 4,104 | 1.39 | +132 bearers (+3.3%) | Down 355 places |
| 2020 | #8,062 | 3,940 | 1.32 | -164 bearers (-4.0%) | Up 14 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 Jost 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 | #8,076 | #8,062 | 0.2% |
| Count | 4,104 | 3,940 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.39 | 1.32 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jost bearers went from 4,104 to 3,940 (-4.0% change). The surname moved up 14 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,076 to #8,062.
FAQ
Jost surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jost?
Name Census estimates that about 4,518 living Americans carry the surname Jost. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 75,864 residents.
How common is Jost?
Jost ranks #8,062 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.32 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 3,940 people with the surname Jost. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,518), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.32 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.32 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 Jost.
Has Jost become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jost went from 4,104 recorded bearers to 3,940. That is a decrease of 164 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,076 to #8,062.
What does the Census say about the background of Jost?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jost, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Jost in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (3,642 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jost appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Jost (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 Jost mean?
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) surname derived from the given name Jodocus, meaning "fighter of the people." 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 Jost (1.32 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 Americans have the surname Jost?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.