2000
#8,959
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,356
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.24
Rare Last name
Jumper
An occupational surname referring to someone who made or sold jumps, a type of men's jacket in medieval times.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,672 Americans carry the last name Jumper. That puts it at #9,678 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 93,343 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jumper 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
3.7K
1 in 93,343
Census rank
#9,678
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,202 bearers of the surname Jumper in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9678th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jumper, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.5%. The next largest groups are Black (11.2%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (6.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jumper
The surname Jumper is of English origin, first appearing in the late 16th century. It is believed to be an occupational name derived from the Old French word "joupeur," meaning a leaper or dancer. The name likely originated as a nickname for an energetic or athletic person, or possibly for a performer or acrobat.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Jumper is found in the parish records of St. Botolph's Church in Bishopsgate, London, where a Robert Jumper was christened in 1587. The name also appears in the Hearth Tax Returns of 1673, which lists a Thomas Jumper residing in the village of Owmby, Lincolnshire.
In the 17th century, the Jumper surname was particularly prevalent in the English counties of Lincolnshire, Yorkshire, and Suffolk. It is possible that the name may have originated from the village of Jumpers, a small hamlet located in the parish of Mendlesham, Suffolk.
A notable figure bearing the Jumper surname was Sir William Jumper (1609-1679), a Member of Parliament for Boston, Lincolnshire, during the English Civil War. He was a staunch Royalist and supported King Charles I.
Another prominent individual was John Jumper (1745-1823), an English architect and surveyor who worked extensively in the city of Bath. He was responsible for the design of several notable buildings, including the Assembly Rooms and the Paragon.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the Jumper surname is found in the Virginia Militia Rolls of 1758, where a James Jumper is listed as serving during the French and Indian War.
A notable American bearer of the surname was Benjamin Jumper (1766-1849), a Methodist circuit rider and pioneer preacher in the state of Georgia. He was instrumental in establishing several churches in the region.
The Jumper surname also has a connection to Native American history. John Jumper (1835-1909) was a prominent leader of the Seminole Tribe of Florida, serving as the principal chief from 1886 to 1909.
During the 19th century, the Jumper surname was found across various parts of the United States, with notable concentrations in states such as Ohio, Indiana, and Georgia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jumper
Among Census respondents with the surname Jumper, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.5%. The next largest groups are Black (11.2%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (6.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Jumper 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 Jumper surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.5% · 2,355
- Black or African American11.2% · 360
- American Indian and Alaska Native6.9% · 221
- Two or more races5.0% · 161
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 98
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jumper
Jumper 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
#9,661
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,360
+4 bearers (+0.1%)
Per 100,000 1.14
Rank movement Down 702 places
2020
#9,678
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,202
-158 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 1.07
Rank movement Down 17 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,959 | 3,356 | 1.24 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,661 | 3,360 | 1.14 | +4 bearers (+0.1%) | Down 702 places |
| 2020 | #9,678 | 3,202 | 1.07 | -158 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 17 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 Jumper 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 | #9,661 | #9,678 | -0.2% |
| Count | 3,360 | 3,202 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.14 | 1.07 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jumper bearers went from 3,360 to 3,202 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 17 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,661 to #9,678.
FAQ
Jumper surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jumper?
Name Census estimates that about 3,672 living Americans carry the surname Jumper. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 93,343 residents.
How common is Jumper?
Jumper ranks #9,678 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.07 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 3,202 people with the surname Jumper. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,672), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.07 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 Jumper.
Has Jumper become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jumper went from 3,360 recorded bearers to 3,202. That is a decrease of 158 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,661 to #9,678.
What does the Census say about the background of Jumper?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jumper, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.5%. The next largest groups are Black (11.2%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (6.9%). 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 Jumper in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.5% (2,355 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jumper appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.5%), Black (11.2%), American Indian/Alaska Native (6.9%). 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 Jumper (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 Jumper mean?
An occupational surname referring to someone who made or sold jumps, a type of men's jacket in medieval times. 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 Jumper (1.07 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 Jumper?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Jumper at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.