Jantzen
A masculine name of German origin alluding to a textile weaving method.
Name Census estimates that about 695 living Americans carry the first name Jantzen. It is a predominantly male name (98.0% of registrations). The average person named Jantzen today is around 28 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jantzen births was 1994 (32 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jantzen. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
695
~ 1 in 493,172 Americans
Peak year
1994
32 babies that year
Average age
28
years old
2022 SSA rank
#11,457
Tracked since 1976
Gender
Gender distribution for Jantzen
Jantzen leans heavily male at 98.0% of total registrations, but 14 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Jantzen as a male name
- Ranked #11,457 in 2022
- 6 male births in 2022
- Peak: 1994 (32 births)
Jantzen as a female name
- Ranked #13,887 in 2000
- 6 female births in 2000
- Peak: 1996 (8 births)
Popularity
Jantzen: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jantzen from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 209 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Jantzen by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Jantzen during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Jantzens live
Origin
Meaning and history of Jantzen
The name Jantzen is of German origin, derived from the surname Jantzen, which in turn comes from the personal name Jan, a variant of the name Johannes or John. The name Johannes is rooted in the Hebrew name Yohanan, meaning "Yahweh is gracious" or "God is gracious."
The earliest recorded use of the name Jantzen dates back to the 16th century in Germany. It was originally a surname, often associated with individuals involved in textile manufacturing or clothing trades. The name gained popularity as a first name in the 19th and 20th centuries, particularly in Germany and the United States.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the first name Jantzen was Jantzen Blauman (1876-1956), a German-American businessman who founded the Jantzen Knitting Mills in Portland, Oregon, in 1910. He popularized the name through his successful swimwear and knitwear company.
Another notable figure was Jantzen Nielson (1891-1978), a Danish-American artist and etcher known for his etchings of California landscapes and urban scenes. He was born in Denmark and later immigrated to the United States, where he established himself as a prominent artist.
Jantzen Gerstmeyer (1907-1995) was a German politician who served as a member of the Bundestag, the national parliament of Germany, from 1949 to 1969. He played a significant role in shaping post-World War II German politics and was associated with the Christian Democratic Union party.
In the field of literature, Jantzen Wesel (1926-2003) was a German author and playwright known for his works exploring social and political themes. His plays were widely performed in Germany and gained critical acclaim for their insightful commentary on contemporary issues.
Jantzen Erickson (1932-2018) was an American businessman and philanthropist. He co-founded the Jantzen Beach Amusement Park in Portland, Oregon, which became a popular destination for both locals and tourists during the mid-20th century.
While the name Jantzen has its roots in German culture and history, it has transcended borders and gained recognition worldwide, particularly in the realms of business, art, politics, and literature.
People
Jantzen + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jantzen as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with J
Other first names starting with J with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Jantzen: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jantzen?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 695 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jantzen going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 493,172 US residents.
Is Jantzen a common name?
We classify Jantzen as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 712 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jantzen most popular?
The single biggest year for Jantzen was 1994, when 32 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jantzen is about 28 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Jantzen a male name?
Yes, 98.0% of people registered as Jantzen in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.