The Jernigan surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 15,889 people carried this name — #2,294 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 18,600 people counted. That is up 4% from 15,298 in 2000.

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In the first U.S. census, 1790

15 families named Jernigan, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 106 people lived in those households, 7.1 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 2 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

North Carolina 11
Massachusetts 3
South Carolina 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 247 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Jernigan in American newspapers,
1904–1919.

Newspaper page from The San Francisco Call carrying the name Jernigan
The San Francisco Call 1904-09-25
Newspaper page from Baxter Springs News carrying the name Jernigan
Baxter Springs News 1919-03-21
Newspaper page from Golden Valley Chronicle carrying the name Jernigan
Golden Valley Chronicle 1915-01-15

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain.

In print

Jernigan in Australian newspapers,
1890s–1950s.

36 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Jernigan. The most, 12, date from the 1890s.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 9
Western Australia 9
Tasmania 5
Victoria 5
Queensland 4
South Australia 2

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Jernigan.

Who carried it

People named Jernigan,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Thomas R. Jernigan
    Thomas R. Jernigan 1847–1920 · politician
  • Robert Wayne Jernigan d. 2018 · university teacher
  • Aaron Jernigan 1813–1891
  • Wallace L. Jernigan 1925–2011 · politician
  • Kenneth Jernigan 1926–1998
  • Gerald D. Jernigan 1942–2006 · politician

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Jernigan,
in the records of the United States.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States730 records

730 records of the Jernigan name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 502
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 198
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 14
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 8
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 3
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 3
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 2
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Richard Lee Jernigan

    Born 1942; from Pecos, Texas. U.S. Army, general vehicle repairman; died of illness 1968 in South Vietnam. Buried at Fort Richardson National Cemetery, Alaska.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Clifton H. Jernigan

    Born 1920 in North Carolina. Enlisted 1943 at New York City; auto mechanic. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1996, buried at Calverton National Cemetery, New York.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A U.S. Army record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864
    Example: U.S. burial record, 1864
    Burial record Earl A. Jernigan

    U.S. Army veteran of World War I. Born 1888, died 1955; buried at Fort Logan National Cemetery, Colorado.

    U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)

Showing 3 of 730 records for Jernigan in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864, U.S. National Archives (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Jernigan.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Jernigan is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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