Jackson Surname

Meaning and origin of the surname Jackson

Patronymic surname meaning 'son of Jack', a medieval diminutive of John, ultimately from Hebrew Yochanan ('Yahweh is gracious').

Historically and linguistically, Jackson belongs to the English and Scottish family of surnames. It is conventionally pronounced "JAK-suhn".

United States Census frequency and ranking

In the official 2010 United States Census, Jackson was recorded 708,099 times, ranking as the 19th most common surname in the nation.

This represents an incidence rate of approximately 240.05 bearers per 100,000 Americans, or roughly 1 out of every 417 residents.

Race and ethnicity distribution

According to official decennial Census genealogy microdata, individuals bearing the surname Jacksonreported the following racial and ethnic affiliations in the 2010 US Census:

Source: US Census Bureau, 2010 Census Surnames Data. Percentages may not sum to exactly 100% due to independent rounding or suppression of small cell counts for privacy protection.

History of the surname Jackson

Jackson is an English and Scottish patronymic surname meaning 'son of Jack'. Jack developed in Middle English during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries through Anglo-Norman Jankin, a diminutive of Jan (John). John was by far the most ubiquitous male given name in medieval England, and Jack became the universal familiar pet form.

Early occurrences of the surname appear in Yorkshire and northern England, such as Adam Jackessone recorded in 1327 and Robertus Jacson in the Yorkshire Poll Tax rolls of 1379. In Scotland, the name established itself early in Lothian and Renfrewshire. Emigrants bearing the name Jackson arrived in the American colonies in large numbers, settling in Virginia and the Carolinas, producing military leaders like Stonewall Jackson and President Andrew Jackson.

In the 2010 United States Census, Jackson ranked 19th nationally with 708,099 bearers. It holds a distinct demographic profile among the top twenty American surnames, with 53 percent of bearers identifying as Black or African American and 40 percent as White, representing an indelible legacy in African American history, literature, civil rights, and culture.

Notable people with the surname Jackson

• Jackson Pollock (1912–1956), American painter and abstract expressionist pioneer
• Jackson Browne (1948–), American singer-songwriter and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee
• Jackson Holliday (2003–), American Major League Baseball player and first overall draft pick
• Jackson Rathbone (1984–), American actor and musician