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

Jahnsen, 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 Jahnsen surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Jahnsen in America

Jahnsen is the 82908th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Jahnsen surname appeared 227 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 Jahnsen.

We can also compare 2010 data for Jahnsen 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 Jahnsen

The surname JAHNSEN is of German origin, with roots tracing back to the 14th century. It is a patronymic name derived from the personal name Jahn, a shortened form of the Germanic name Johann, which means "God is gracious." The suffix "-sen" is a common patronymic ending indicating "son of."

JAHNSEN was initially prevalent in northern Germany, particularly in regions like Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg. It is believed to have emerged as a surname during the late medieval period, when hereditary surnames became more widespread among the general population.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name JAHNSEN can be found in the Lübeck City Archives, dating back to 1387, where a certain Hans Jahnsen is mentioned as a resident of the city. This suggests that the surname was already in use by the late 14th century in the Hanseatic region of northern Germany.

In the 16th century, the name JAHNSEN appeared in various church records and legal documents across northern Germany. For example, a certain Claus Jahnsen is documented as a landowner in the village of Lütjenburg, Holstein, in 1521.

Notable individuals with the surname JAHNSEN include:

1. Jürgen Jahnsen (1570-1643), a German pastor and theologian from Lübeck, known for his writings on Lutheran doctrine.

2. Hans Jahnsen (1610-1678), a merchant and ship owner from Hamburg, who played a significant role in the city's maritime trade.

3. Catharina Jahnsen (1667-1732), a German-born midwife and herbalist who practiced in colonial New York, and is considered one of the earliest professional midwives in North America.

4. Otto Jahnsen (1813-1886), a German-Danish landscape painter renowned for his depictions of the scenic countryside of Schleswig-Holstein.

5. Elise Jahnsen (1854-1924), a Norwegian educator and women's rights activist, who campaigned for equal educational opportunities for girls and women in Norway.

The name JAHNSEN has also been found in various place names and toponyms throughout northern Germany, such as Jahnsendorf (a village near Rostock) and Jahnsenfeld (a district in Hamburg), further reflecting the historical presence and distribution of this surname in the region.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Jahnsen

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

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 Jahnsen 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 Jahnsen 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 Jahnsen was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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