NameCensus.

UK surname

Jess

A variant of the biblical surname Jesse, meaning gift or wealthy.

In the 1881 census there were 236 people recorded with the Jess surname, ranking it #11,540 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 677, ranked #7,926, up from #11,540 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Inch, Portpatrick and Glasgow. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Maybole, Doon Valley North and Newton Stewart.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Jess is 677 in 2016. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 186.9%.

1881 census count

236

Ranked #11,540

Modern count

677

2016, ranked #7,926

Peak year

2016

677 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Jess had 236 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #11,540 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 677 in 2016, ranked #7,926.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 268 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Jess surname distribution map

The map shows where the Jess surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Jess surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Jess over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 150 #12,905
1861 historical 136 #16,556
1881 historical 236 #11,540
1891 historical 262 #12,297
1901 historical 268 #12,553
1911 historical 103 #22,328
1997 modern 573 #8,415
1998 modern 602 #8,376
1999 modern 618 #8,282
2000 modern 616 #8,276
2001 modern 606 #8,237
2002 modern 615 #8,306
2003 modern 604 #8,283
2004 modern 608 #8,270
2005 modern 613 #8,142
2006 modern 608 #8,206
2007 modern 630 #8,056
2008 modern 640 #8,007
2009 modern 654 #8,030
2010 modern 661 #8,133
2011 modern 635 #8,309
2012 modern 619 #8,387
2013 modern 654 #8,182
2014 modern 664 #8,115
2015 modern 668 #8,009
2016 modern 677 #7,926

Geography

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Where Jess' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Inch, Portpatrick, Glasgow, St Mary Islington and Plymouth St Charles the Martyr. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Maybole, Doon Valley North, Newton Stewart, Holmston and Forehill and Prestwick East. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Inch Wigtown
2 Portpatrick Wigtown
3 Glasgow Lanark
4 St Mary Islington London (North Districts)
5 Plymouth St Charles the Martyr Devon

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Maybole South Ayrshire
2 Doon Valley North East Ayrshire
3 Newton Stewart Dumfries and Galloway
4 Holmston and Forehill South Ayrshire
5 Prestwick East South Ayrshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Jess

These lists show first names that appear often with the Jess surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Jess

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Jess, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Retired Professionals

Group

Spacious Rural Living

Nationally, the Jess surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Jess household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Jess is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Scattered across London’s Inner and Outer suburbs, residents of these neighbourhoods are typically housed in the social rented sector. Although terraced and semi-detached houses predominate, more residents live in flats than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Neighbourhoods are more ethnically diverse than the Supergroup average. Those identifying as of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and some Black ethnicities are more prevalent. Europeans born in a overseas non-EU countries make up more of the lower proportion of residents identifying as White. Few residents are very old (85+). Employment in distribution, hotels and restaurants is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Jess is most concentrated in decile 1 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Jess falls in decile 3 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

3
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Jess is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Jess, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Jess

The surname "Jess" is of English origin, derived from a medieval English nickname for a person named Jesse. It first emerged in the late 12th century as a variant spelling of the biblical name Jesse, the father of King David in the Old Testament.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Jess can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1221, where a certain William Jess is mentioned. The name also appears in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, referencing a Hugo Jese.

During the 13th and 14th centuries, the surname Jess was particularly prevalent in the counties of Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, and Wiltshire in southern England. It is believed that the name may have originated as a locational surname, referring to someone who hailed from a place called Jess or Jesse, although the precise location is now lost to history.

In the 16th century, the surname Jess was sometimes spelled as Gesse or Gess, reflecting the interchangeable use of "J" and "G" in Middle English. One notable individual from this period was John Gesse, a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of Bristol, who lived from around 1510 to 1580.

During the 17th century, the spelling of the surname solidified as Jess. A notable bearer of the name was Sir John Jess (1597-1663), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Middlesex and was a supporter of the Parliamentarian cause during the English Civil War.

In the 18th century, the surname Jess spread beyond its traditional strongholds in southern England. One notable individual was Thomas Jess (1748-1811), a Scottish poet and playwright who wrote several works in the Scots language.

Other notable bearers of the surname Jess include William Jess (1832-1898), an English cricketer who played for Nottinghamshire, and George Jess (1907-1970), an Australian rules footballer who played for the Carlton Football Club in the Victorian Football League (now known as the Australian Football League).

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Jess families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Jess surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Ayrshire leads with 66 Jess' recorded in 1881 and an index of 38.80x.

County Total Index
Ayrshire 66 38.80x
Wigtownshire 43 142.48x
Middlesex 30 1.32x
Lancashire 22 0.82x
Devon 15 3.17x
Lanarkshire 15 2.04x
Dorset 8 5.36x
Renfrewshire 7 3.97x
Somerset 6 1.64x
Durham 4 0.59x
Dunbartonshire 3 4.91x
Buteshire 2 14.52x
Gloucestershire 2 0.45x
Kent 2 0.26x
Midlothian 2 0.66x
Northamptonshire 2 0.94x
Angus 1 0.47x
Caernarfonshire 1 1.09x
Dumfriesshire 1 1.99x
Sussex 1 0.26x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Ayr in Ayrshire leads with 20 Jess' recorded in 1881 and an index of 249.07x.

Place Total Index
Ayr 20 249.07x
Inch 18 612.24x
Plymouth Charles The 14 67.18x
Islington London 10 4.54x
Maybole 10 193.05x
Paddington London 10 11.97x
Whithorn 9 391.30x
Bethnal Green London 8 8.10x
Cambusnethan 8 48.99x
Dalton In Furness 8 76.85x
Melbury Abbas 8 3076.92x
Barony 7 3.76x
Coylton 7 290.46x
Kirkcolm 7 482.76x
Girvan 6 140.52x
Tarbolton 6 214.29x
Eastwood 5 46.08x
Dalrymple 4 373.83x
Gateshead 4 7.90x
Hulme 4 7.10x
Kilmarnock 4 19.75x
Openshaw 4 31.67x
Portpatrick 4 396.04x
South Petherton 4 211.64x
Cardross 3 40.93x
Dalmellington 3 60.00x
Didsbury 3 83.80x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 2 4.77x
Cumbrae 2 137.93x
Dalry 2 25.00x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 2 1.63x
Etton 2 1818.18x
Gillingham 2 12.51x
Keynsham 2 76.05x
Ochiltree 2 170.94x
St George Botolph Lane 2 2857.14x
West Kilbride 2 123.46x
Bodvean 1 454.55x
Brechin 1 12.09x
Brighton 1 1.29x
Devonport 1 18.38x
Dumfries 1 20.20x
East Greenock 1 6.01x
Kirkmaiden 1 52.36x
Leswalt 1 48.31x
Middle Greenock 1 20.79x
North Meols 1 3.79x
Old Luce 1 52.63x
Sorbie 1 75.76x
Stoneykirk 1 46.30x
Toxteth Park 1 1.10x
Walton On Hill 1 6.84x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Jess surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Jess surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
William 8
Frederick 5
James 5
Charles 3
Samuel 3
George 2
John 2
Richard 2
Thomas 2
Adolf 1
Albert 1
Alexander 1
Alf. 1
Arthur 1
Carl 1
Chas. 1
Franz 1
Otto 1
Sidney 1
Wm.J. 1

FAQ

Jess surname: questions and answers

How common was the Jess surname in 1881?

In 1881, 236 people were recorded with the Jess surname. That placed it at #11,540 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Jess surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 677 in 2016. That gives Jess a modern rank of #7,926.

What does the Jess surname mean?

A variant of the biblical surname Jesse, meaning gift or wealthy.

What does the Jess map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Jess bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.