2000
#128,797
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Jansch
A surname likely derived from a Germanic personal name or place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Jansch. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jansch 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Jansch in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jansch, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jansch
The surname Jansch originates from Germany, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the medieval German word "janschen," which means "to strive" or "to endeavor." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who was perceived as hardworking or diligent.
The name was particularly common in various regions of Germany, including Bavaria, Saxony, and Silesia. Its earliest recorded spelling variations include "Jantsch," "Jantzsch," and "Jantzke."
One of the earliest known references to the name Jansch can be found in the historical records of the town of Zittau, located in modern-day Saxony, Germany. These records date back to the late 16th century and mention a family by the name of Jansch living in the area.
In the 17th century, the name Jansch appeared in various church registers and official documents across different parts of Germany. Notable individuals from this period include Johann Jansch (1620-1687), a Lutheran theologian and author from Silesia, and Michael Jansch (1668-1732), a German composer and organist from Saxony.
In the 18th century, the Jansch surname gained further recognition with the birth of Christian Friedrich Jansch (1740-1811), a German jurist and legal scholar from Silesia. He is known for his contributions to the field of civil law and his influential writings on legal theory.
Moving into the 19th century, one of the most famous bearers of the Jansch surname was Paul Jansch (1841-1917), a German architect and urban planner. He was responsible for the design and construction of several notable buildings in Berlin, including the former Reichsbank (Imperial Bank) building and the Berliner Stadtbahn (City Railway).
In the 20th century, the name Jansch gained international recognition through the British folk musician Bert Jansch (1943-2011). Born in Scotland to parents of German descent, Jansch was a highly influential figure in the British folk revival movement of the 1960s and is widely regarded as one of the most important guitarists of his generation.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have carried the surname Jansch throughout history, highlighting its German origins and its presence across various fields, from theology and law to music and architecture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jansch
Among Census respondents with the surname Jansch, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Jansch 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 Jansch surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.1% · 97
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 2
- Two or more races2.0% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jansch
Jansch appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-16 bearers (-13.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 24,972 places
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-4 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 986 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #128,797 | 122 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | -16 bearers (-13.1%) | Down 24,972 places |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -4 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 986 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 Jansch 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 | #153,769 | #154,755 | -0.6% |
| Count | 106 | 102 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jansch bearers went from 106 to 102 (-3.8% change). The surname moved down 986 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #154,755.
FAQ
Jansch surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jansch?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Jansch. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Jansch?
Jansch ranks #154,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 102 people with the surname Jansch. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Jansch.
Has Jansch become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jansch went from 106 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #153,769 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Jansch?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jansch, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Jansch in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.1% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jansch appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.1%), Hispanic (2.0%), Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Jansch (2000, 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 Jansch mean?
A surname likely derived from a Germanic personal name or place name. 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 Jansch (0.03 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 are called Jansch?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Jansch is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.