2000
#17,510
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,483
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.55
Rare Last name
Jovel
A surname of Hebrew origin meaning "Ram," likely referring to someone who raised or traded rams.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,100 Americans carry the last name Jovel. That puts it at #11,194 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.90 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 110,566 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jovel 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
3.1K
1 in 110,566
Census rank
#11,194
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,703 bearers of the surname Jovel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.90 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11194th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jovel, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.7%. The next largest groups are White (3.3%) and Black (0.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jovel
The surname JOVEL originates from Spain, first appearing in historical records during the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Spanish word "joya," meaning "jewel" or "gem," potentially indicating that the name was initially given to someone who worked as a jeweler or dealt in precious stones.
One of the earliest documented instances of the JOVEL surname can be found in the Census de Pecheros de Carlos I, a tax record compiled in the 16th century during the reign of King Charles I of Spain. This census listed individuals with the surname JOVEL residing in various regions of the country, such as Andalusia and Castile.
In the 17th century, the JOVEL name appeared in the baptismal records of the parish church of San Sebastián in the town of Écija, located in the province of Seville, Spain. These records provide insights into the lives of JOVEL families during that period.
Notable individuals with the JOVEL surname throughout history include:
1. Juan JOVEL (c. 1550-1620), a Spanish explorer and navigator who accompanied Ferdinand Magellan on his pioneering voyage around the world in the early 16th century.
2. María JOVEL (c. 1625-1690), a renowned Spanish ceramist and potter whose intricate and decorative works were highly sought after by collectors and nobility during the Golden Age of Spanish art.
3. Francisco JOVEL y Villavicencio (1705-1778), a Spanish military officer and colonial administrator who served as the governor of Havana, Cuba, from 1760 to 1765.
4. Dolores JOVEL de Ayala (1820-1892), a Spanish poet and writer whose works explored themes of love, nature, and the struggles of women in 19th-century society.
5. Antonio JOVEL Martínez (1875-1942), a Spanish architect and urban planner who played a significant role in the development of modern Barcelona, designing notable landmarks such as the Palau de la Música Catalana.
While the JOVEL surname originated in Spain, it has since spread to other regions, particularly Latin America, where descendants of Spanish settlers and immigrants have carried the name. However, the earliest records and most notable historical figures associated with the JOVEL surname can be traced back to its Spanish roots.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jovel
Among Census respondents with the surname Jovel, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.7%. The next largest groups are White (3.3%) and Black (0.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Jovel 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 Jovel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino95.7% · 2,586
- White3.3% · 90
- Black or African American0.7% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.1% · 3
- Two or more races0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jovel
Jovel 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
#13,391
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,275
+792 bearers (+53.4%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Up 4,119 places
2020
#11,194
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,703
+428 bearers (+18.8%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Up 2,197 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #17,510 | 1,483 | 0.55 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,391 | 2,275 | 0.77 | +792 bearers (+53.4%) | Up 4,119 places |
| 2020 | #11,194 | 2,703 | 0.90 | +428 bearers (+18.8%) | Up 2,197 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 Jovel 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 | #13,391 | #11,194 | 16.4% |
| Count | 2,275 | 2,703 | 18.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.77 | 0.90 | 17.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jovel bearers went from 2,275 to 2,703 (+18.8% change). The surname moved up 2,197 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,391 to #11,194.
FAQ
Jovel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jovel?
Name Census estimates that about 3,100 living Americans carry the surname Jovel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 110,566 residents.
How common is Jovel?
Jovel ranks #11,194 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.90 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 2,703 people with the surname Jovel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,100), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.9 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.90 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 Jovel.
Has Jovel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jovel went from 2,275 recorded bearers to 2,703. That is an increase of 428 (+18.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,391 to #11,194.
What does the Census say about the background of Jovel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jovel, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.7%. The next largest groups are White (3.3%) and Black (0.7%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Jovel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.7% (2,586 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jovel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (95.7%), White (3.3%), Black (0.7%). 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 Jovel (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 Jovel mean?
A surname of Hebrew origin meaning "Ram," likely referring to someone who raised or traded rams. 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 Jovel (0.90 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 share the surname Jovel?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.