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

Jans, 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 Jans surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Jans in America

Jans is the 25202nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Jans surname appeared 983 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 Jans.

We can also compare 2010 data for Jans 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 Jans

The surname JANS originates from the Netherlands and can be traced back to the 17th century. It is believed to have derived from the given name Jan, a Dutch variation of the biblical name John. The name Jan itself is a shortened form of Johannes, which is derived from the Hebrew name Yochanan, meaning "Yahweh is gracious."

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the surname JANS can be found in the Dutch baptismal records from the late 1600s, where it was often spelled as Jansz or Jansen, indicating the son of Jan. The name was particularly common in the provinces of North Holland and South Holland, as well as in the city of Amsterdam.

In the 18th century, the name JANS appeared in several historical documents, including municipal records and church registers. One notable figure bearing this surname was Pieter Jans (1655-1718), a Dutch painter known for his landscapes and genre scenes.

The 19th century saw the wider spread of the JANS surname across Europe and beyond. Johannes Jans (1810-1876), a Dutch-born American missionary, played a significant role in establishing Protestant churches in the Netherlands and the United States. Another prominent individual was Theodorus Jans (1844-1919), a Dutch architect who designed several notable buildings in Amsterdam and Rotterdam.

As the name spread, it also evolved into various spellings, such as Jansz, Jansen, Janssen, and Janssens, depending on the region and language. One of the most famous bearers of this name was the Flemish painter Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640), whose full name was Peter Paul Rubens Jansz.

In the 20th century, the JANS surname continued to be found across various parts of the world, with individuals like Cornelis Jans (1901-1982), a Dutch writer and journalist, and Jan Jans (1928-2004), a Belgian cyclist who won several prestigious races, including the Tour de France in 1958.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Jans

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

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

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

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