Jumper last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Jumper is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Jumper.

Meaning of Jumper

An occupational surname referring to someone who made or sold jumps, a type of men's jacket in medieval times.

Jumper, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Jumper surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Jumper in America

Jumper is the 9661st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Jumper surname appeared 3,360 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Jumper.

We can also compare 2010 data for Jumper to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 9661 8959 7.54%
Count 3,360 3,356 0.12%
Proportion per 100k 1.14 1.24 -8.40%

The history of the last name 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.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Jumper

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Jumper.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Jumper was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 75.95% 2,552
Non-Hispanic Black Only 12.23% 411
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.30% 10
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 7.62% 256
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 2.17% 73
Hispanic Origin 1.73% 58

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Jumper has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 75.95% 78.87% -3.77%
Black 12.23% 11.95% 2.32%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.30% 0.39% -26.09%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 7.62% 6.94% 9.34%
Two or More Races 2.17% 1.22% 56.05%
Hispanic 1.73% 0.63% 93.22%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Jumper was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Jumper, please contact us.

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Jumper last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 6, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/jumper-surname-popularity/.

"Jumper last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/jumper-surname-popularity/. Accessed 6 December, 2024

Jumper last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/jumper-surname-popularity/.

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