2000
#59,147
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 320
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.12
Very Rare Last name
Jammer
A surname likely derived from the Dutch word "jammer" meaning "pity" or "sorrow".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 398 Americans carry the last name Jammer. That puts it at #62,349 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.12 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 861,192 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jammer 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
398
1 in 861,192
Census rank
#62,349
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
347
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 347 bearers of the surname Jammer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.12 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 62349th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jammer, the largest self-reported group is Black at 43.8%. The next largest groups are White (39.2%) and Two or More Races (10.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jammer
The surname Jammer originated in Germany, with its earliest known records dating back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Low German word "jammern," meaning "to lament" or "to wail." This connection suggests that the name may have been initially given as a descriptive surname to someone known for complaining or expressing grief excessively.
One of the earliest documented instances of the name Jammer can be found in the records of the city of Hannover, where a certain Hinrich Jammer was listed as a resident in the year 1564. Another early record comes from the town of Bayreuth, where a Johannes Jammer was listed as a blacksmith in 1587.
The Jammer name appears to have spread from its origins in northern Germany to other parts of the country and neighboring regions. In the 17th century, a Matthias Jammer was recorded as a resident of the town of Bingen, located on the Rhine River in what is now the state of Rhineland-Palatinate.
Notable individuals with the surname Jammer include Hans Jammer (1909-1997), an Austrian-American historian of physics and philosopher of science, who was born in Vienna and later emigrated to the United States. Another prominent figure was Johann Jammer (1792-1868), a German composer and music educator who lived and worked in the city of Dresden.
In the 19th century, a Gottfried Jammer (1816-1899) was a prominent figure in the field of agriculture and horticulture, serving as the director of the Royal Prussian Botanical Garden and Museum in Berlin. Another individual of note was Theodor Jammer (1851-1919), a German lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Reichstag, the lower house of the German parliament.
While the name Jammer is not particularly common, it has been carried by individuals from various walks of life throughout history, with its roots firmly planted in the German language and culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jammer
Among Census respondents with the surname Jammer, the largest self-reported group is Black at 43.8%. The next largest groups are White (39.2%) and Two or More Races (10.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Jammer 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 Jammer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American43.8% · 152
- White39.2% · 136
- Two or more races10.7% · 37
- Hispanic or Latino4.9% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jammer
Jammer 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
#60,960
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 330
+10 bearers (+3.1%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Down 1,813 places
2020
#62,349
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 347
+17 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Down 1,389 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #59,147 | 320 | 0.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #60,960 | 330 | 0.11 | +10 bearers (+3.1%) | Down 1,813 places |
| 2020 | #62,349 | 347 | 0.12 | +17 bearers (+5.2%) | Down 1,389 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 Jammer 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 | #60,960 | #62,349 | -2.3% |
| Count | 330 | 347 | 5.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.11 | 0.12 | 5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jammer bearers went from 330 to 347 (+5.2% change). The surname moved down 1,389 positions in the national ranking, going from #60,960 to #62,349.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Jammer
FAQ
Jammer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jammer?
Name Census estimates that about 398 living Americans carry the surname Jammer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 861,192 residents.
How common is Jammer?
Jammer ranks #62,349 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.12 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 347 people with the surname Jammer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (398), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.12 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.12 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 Jammer.
Has Jammer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jammer went from 330 recorded bearers to 347. That is an increase of 17 (+5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #60,960 to #62,349.
What does the Census say about the background of Jammer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jammer, the largest self-reported group is Black at 43.8%. The next largest groups are White (39.2%) and Two or More Races (10.7%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Jammer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 43.8% (152 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jammer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (43.8%), White (39.2%), Two or More Races (10.7%). 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 Jammer (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 Jammer mean?
A surname likely derived from the Dutch word "jammer" meaning "pity" or "sorrow". 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 Jammer (0.12 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 Americans have the surname Jammer?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.