2000
#39,617
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 522
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.19
Very Rare Last name
Jass
A surname derived from a habitational name referring to someone from the Swiss town of Jaß.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 685 Americans carry the last name Jass. That puts it at #39,705 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.20 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 500,371 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jass 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
685
1 in 500,371
Census rank
#39,705
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
597
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 597 bearers of the surname Jass in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.20 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 39705th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jass, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (20.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jass
The surname JASS has its origins in England, with the earliest records dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old French name Jacques, which was a form of the Latin name Jacobus, meaning "supplanter." The name Jacques was introduced to England by the Normans after the conquest in 1066.
The name JASS is thought to be a variation of the name Jakes, which was a common spelling in medieval England. This variation likely resulted from regional dialects and differences in pronunciation. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name include John Jakes, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Sussex in 1230, and William Jakes, who was listed in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire in 1273.
During the 14th and 15th centuries, the name JASS began appearing in various historical records across England. In 1379, a Robert Jas was recorded in the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire. The Hertfordshire Subsidy Rolls of 1428 listed a John Jasse, while the Wiltshire Assize Rolls of 1451 mentioned a Thomas Jasse.
Notable individuals with the surname JASS throughout history include Sir John Jasse (1550-1617), an English politician and member of Parliament for Launceston, Cornwall. Another prominent figure was George Jass (1718-1779), a Scottish merchant and businessman who founded the successful trading company George Jass & Co. in Calcutta, India.
In the 19th century, John Jass (1815-1891) was a notable English horticulturist and nurseryman, known for his work in cultivating and breeding new varieties of roses. William Jass (1836-1912) was a Scottish architect who designed several prominent buildings in Glasgow, including the City Chambers and the Glasgow Art Club.
One of the earliest recorded place names associated with the surname JASS is Jassebury, a hamlet in Hertfordshire, England, which was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086. This place name likely derived from a combination of the personal name Jass and the Old English word "burh," meaning a fortified town or manor.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jass
Among Census respondents with the surname Jass, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (20.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Jass 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 Jass surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.4% · 432
- Hispanic or Latino20.9% · 125
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.5% · 21
- Black or African American1.7% · 10
- Two or more races1.5% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jass
Jass 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
#41,164
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 529
+7 bearers (+1.3%)
Per 100,000 0.18
Rank movement Down 1,547 places
2020
#39,705
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 597
+68 bearers (+12.9%)
Per 100,000 0.20
Rank movement Up 1,459 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #39,617 | 522 | 0.19 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #41,164 | 529 | 0.18 | +7 bearers (+1.3%) | Down 1,547 places |
| 2020 | #39,705 | 597 | 0.20 | +68 bearers (+12.9%) | Up 1,459 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 Jass 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 | #41,164 | #39,705 | 3.5% |
| Count | 529 | 597 | 12.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.18 | 0.20 | 11.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jass bearers went from 529 to 597 (+12.9% change). The surname moved up 1,459 positions in the national ranking, going from #41,164 to #39,705.
FAQ
Jass surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jass?
Name Census estimates that about 685 living Americans carry the surname Jass. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 500,371 residents.
How common is Jass?
Jass ranks #39,705 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.20 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 597 people with the surname Jass. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (685), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.20 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 Jass.
Has Jass become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jass went from 529 recorded bearers to 597. That is an increase of 68 (+12.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #41,164 to #39,705.
What does the Census say about the background of Jass?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jass, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (20.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.5%). 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 Jass in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.4% (432 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jass appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (72.4%), Hispanic (20.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.5%). 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 Jass (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 Jass mean?
A surname derived from a habitational name referring to someone from the Swiss town of Jaß. 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 Jass (0.20 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 common is the surname Jass?
You can see how many people have the surname Jass on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.