2010
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Jannenga
A Dutch surname derived from a place name meaning "the people from Janjum".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Jannenga. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jannenga surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Jannenga in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jannenga, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jannenga
The surname Jannenga has its origins in the Frisian region of the Netherlands, tracing back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the old Frisian word "Janne," a diminutive form of the name Johannes, combined with the locative suffix "-nga," indicating a place of origin or residence.
One of the earliest known records of the name appears in the Frisian town of Leeuwarden, where a certain Fedde Jannenga is mentioned in a municipal document dated 1587. This document pertains to the ownership of a parcel of land, suggesting that the Jannenga family held a certain degree of prominence in the area during that period.
The name Jannenga is closely associated with the village of Buitenpost, located in the Dutch province of Friesland. Historical records from the late 17th century indicate that a family by the name of Jannenga had established themselves as landowners and farmers in the region, with their name being linked to several farmsteads and hamlets in the surrounding countryside.
In the 18th century, a notable individual bearing the surname Jannenga was Wytze Jannenga, a prominent merchant and ship owner from the city of Harlingen. Born in 1712, Wytze Jannenga played a significant role in the thriving maritime trade of the time, establishing trade routes between the Netherlands and various ports in the Baltic region.
Another noteworthy figure was Douwe Jannenga, a renowned clockmaker who lived and worked in the city of Leeuwarden during the early 19th century. Born in 1785, Douwe Jannenga's intricately crafted timepieces were highly sought after and can still be found in various museums and private collections throughout the Netherlands.
In the literary realm, the name Jannenga gained prominence through the works of Pieter Jelles Jannenga, a Frisian poet and writer who lived from 1808 to 1868. His contributions to the preservation and promotion of the Frisian language and culture were widely recognized, and several of his poems and short stories have become part of the region's literary canon.
The surname Jannenga has also been associated with various place names in the Frisian region, such as the hamlet of Jannenga Hoeve, which literally translates to "Jannenga Farm." This further underscores the deep-rooted connection between the name and the agricultural heritage of the area.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jannenga
Among Census respondents with the surname Jannenga, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Jannenga bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Jannenga surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.5% · 105
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jannenga
Jannenga appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
+6 bearers (+5.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,598 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.8%) | Up 6,598 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Jannenga surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #156,044 | #149,446 | 4.2% |
| Count | 104 | 110 | 5.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jannenga bearers went from 104 to 110 (+5.8% change). The surname moved up 6,598 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #149,446.
FAQ
Jannenga surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jannenga?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Jannenga. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Jannenga?
Jannenga ranks #149,446 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 110 people with the surname Jannenga. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Jannenga.
Has Jannenga become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jannenga went from 104 recorded bearers to 110. That is an increase of 6 (+5.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Jannenga?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jannenga, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Jannenga in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.5% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jannenga appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%), Two or More Races (1.8%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Jannenga (2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Jannenga mean?
A Dutch surname derived from a place name meaning "the people from Janjum". The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Jannenga (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Jannenga?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.