2000
#4,560
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,140
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.65
Rare Last name
Jackman
An occupational surname referring to someone who operated a jack or similar lifting device.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,426 Americans carry the last name Jackman. That puts it at #4,682 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.46 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 40,678 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jackman 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Jackman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.4K
1 in 40,678
Census rank
#4,682
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,348 bearers of the surname Jackman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.46 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4682nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jackman, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.5%. The next largest groups are Black (13.1%) and Hispanic (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jackman
The surname Jackman is of English origin and can be traced back to the late medieval period. It is an occupational name derived from the Old English words "lac" meaning a game or sport, and "man" meaning a person. Thus, the name initially referred to a person who served as a gamekeeper or managed sporting events.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Jackman can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, which mentions a John le Iacman. The Jackman surname also appears in various tax records and court rolls from the 14th and 15th centuries across different counties in England.
In the 16th century, the name was sometimes spelled as Jakeman or Jeckman, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling at the time. The Jackman surname is also closely associated with the village of Jackman's Place in Kent, which was recorded as Jacmanes in the Domesday Book of 1086.
Notable individuals with the surname Jackman include Sir Henry Jackman (1597-1668), an English judge and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1663. Another prominent figure was William Jackman (1707-1789), a British architect who designed several churches and public buildings in London.
In the 19th century, Henry Jackman (1807-1876) was a renowned English musician and composer who wrote several popular songs and operettas. Francis Jackman (1848-1916) was a British naval officer and explorer who participated in several Arctic expeditions.
One of the most famous individuals with the Jackman surname is the Australian actor Hugh Jackman (born 1968), best known for his portrayal of Wolverine in the X-Men film series. He has received numerous accolades, including a Golden Globe and a Tony Award.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jackman
Among Census respondents with the surname Jackman, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.5%. The next largest groups are Black (13.1%) and Hispanic (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Jackman 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 Jackman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.5% · 5,769
- Black or African American13.1% · 965
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 288
- Two or more races3.4% · 248
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 47
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 31
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jackman
Jackman 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
#4,587
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,738
+598 bearers (+8.4%)
Per 100,000 2.62
Rank movement Down 27 places
2020
#4,682
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,348
-390 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 2.46
Rank movement Down 95 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,560 | 7,140 | 2.65 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,587 | 7,738 | 2.62 | +598 bearers (+8.4%) | Down 27 places |
| 2020 | #4,682 | 7,348 | 2.46 | -390 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 95 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 Jackman 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 | #4,587 | #4,682 | -2.1% |
| Count | 7,738 | 7,348 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 2.62 | 2.46 | -6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jackman bearers went from 7,738 to 7,348 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 95 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,587 to #4,682.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Jackman
FAQ
Jackman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jackman?
Name Census estimates that about 8,426 living Americans carry the surname Jackman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 40,678 residents.
How common is Jackman?
Jackman ranks #4,682 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.46 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,348 people with the surname Jackman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,426), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.46 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.46 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Jackman.
Has Jackman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jackman went from 7,738 recorded bearers to 7,348. That is a decrease of 390 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,587 to #4,682.
What does the Census say about the background of Jackman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jackman, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.5%. The next largest groups are Black (13.1%) and Hispanic (3.9%). 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 Jackman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.5% (5,769 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jackman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.5%), Black (13.1%), Hispanic (3.9%). 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 Jackman (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 Jackman mean?
An occupational surname referring to someone who operated a jack or similar lifting device. 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 Jackman (2.46 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 are called Jackman?
You can see how many people are called Jackman on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.