Find out how popular the last name Jahns is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Jahns.

Jahns, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Jahns surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Jahns in America

Jahns is the 23691st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Jahns surname appeared 1,069 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Jahns.

We can also compare 2010 data for Jahns to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Jahns

The surname JAHNS has its origins in Germany, with records dating back to the 16th century. The name is derived from the German personal name Johann, which is a variant of the biblical name John, meaning "God is gracious." This name was particularly popular during the Middle Ages and was often used as a first name across Europe.

One of the earliest known references to the surname JAHNS can be found in the records of the town of Goslar, in Lower Saxony, Germany, where a certain Hans Jahns was mentioned in a document from 1582. The name also appears in various church records and tax rolls from the 17th and 18th centuries in regions such as Bavaria, Saxony, and Thuringia.

In the 19th century, the JAHNS surname gained prominence with the birth of Johann Gustav Jahns (1809-1888), a German educator and gymnastics teacher who is considered the father of the Turnverein movement, which advocated for physical education and exercise. His work had a significant impact on the development of gymnastics as a sport and contributed to the popularization of the surname.

Another notable figure was Karl Friedrich Philipp von Martius (1794-1868), a German botanist and explorer who conducted extensive research in Brazil. His mother's maiden name was Jahns, and he is often referred to as Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius Jahns.

During the 19th and early 20th centuries, many individuals with the surname JAHNS immigrated to the United States, particularly from German-speaking regions of Europe. One such individual was Wilhelm Jahns (1837-1920), a German-American architect who designed several notable buildings in New York City, including the former New York Herald Building and the Church of St. Paul the Apostle.

In the realm of literature, Rudolph Jahns (1905-1989) was a renowned German writer and poet who gained recognition for his works exploring themes of rural life and the natural world. His poetry collections, such as "Dorflieder" (Village Songs), are still widely studied and appreciated.

These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have carried the surname JAHNS throughout history, demonstrating the rich heritage and diversity associated with this name of German origin.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Jahns

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Jahns.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Jahns was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Jahns has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Jahns was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Jahns, please contact us.

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