2000
#143,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Jurss
A surname possibly derived from the Swiss German word "jurs," meaning "to grunt or snore."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Jurss. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jurss 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Jurss in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jurss, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.2%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jurss
The surname JURSS has its origins in the Baltic region, specifically in the present-day countries of Latvia and Lithuania. It is believed to have emerged in the 13th or 14th century, during the era of the Livonian Crusades and the subsequent establishment of the Terra Mariana, a territory ruled by the Teutonic Knights.
The name JURSS is derived from the Latvian word "jūra," meaning "sea." It is likely that the earliest bearers of this surname were individuals who lived near the Baltic Sea or were engaged in maritime activities such as fishing or trade. Alternatively, the name could have originated from a place name containing the word "jūra," indicating a seaside location.
Historical records from the region, including chronicles and manuscripts dating back to the 15th and 16th centuries, contain references to individuals with the surname JURSS or variations of its spelling, such as Jursch, Jursche, or Jürss. These early records suggest that the name was prevalent among the Baltic population, particularly in the regions of Vidzeme and Courland, which were part of the Terra Mariana.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname JURSS can be found in a document from 1492, which mentions a certain Hans Jurss, a merchant from the city of Riga, then a part of the Livonian Confederation. Another notable bearer of the name was Karlis Jurss, a Latvian poet and writer who lived from 1856 to 1907 and is considered a significant figure in the Latvian National Awakening movement.
In the 16th century, a family by the name of Jurss is mentioned in the records of the city of Kuldīga, located in the historical region of Courland. This family is believed to have been involved in the local governance and administration of the city during that period.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the JURSS surname can be found in various records from the Baltic region, including church registers and tax rolls. One notable individual from this era was Johann Jurss, a merchant and landowner from the town of Ventspils, who lived from 1725 to 1798.
Another significant figure with the surname JURSS was Miķelis Jurss, a Latvian peasant leader who played a prominent role in the Courland Peasant Uprising of 1809 against the German Baltic nobility. He was born in 1765 and executed in 1809 for his involvement in the rebellion.
As the centuries progressed, the JURSS surname continued to be prominent in the Baltic region, with many individuals bearing this name contributing to various fields, including literature, politics, and commerce.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jurss
Among Census respondents with the surname Jurss, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.2%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Jurss 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 Jurss surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.2% · 108
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jurss
Jurss 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
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+8 bearers (+7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,373 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-4 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,226 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #143,847 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.5%) | Down 1,373 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.5%) | Down 4,226 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 Jurss 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 | #145,220 | #149,446 | -2.9% |
| Count | 114 | 110 | -3.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jurss bearers went from 114 to 110 (-3.5% change). The surname moved down 4,226 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #149,446.
FAQ
Jurss surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jurss?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Jurss. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Jurss?
Jurss ranks #149,446 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 110 people with the surname Jurss. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Jurss.
Has Jurss become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jurss went from 114 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #145,220 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Jurss?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jurss, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.2%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%). 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 Jurss in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.2% (108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jurss appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.2%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%). 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 Jurss (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 Jurss mean?
A surname possibly derived from the Swiss German word "jurs," meaning "to grunt or snore." 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 Jurss (0.04 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 Jurss?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Jurss at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.