Jansma last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Jansma

A Dutch/Frisian surname derived from a patronymic meaning "son of Jans".

Jansma, 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 Jansma surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Jansma in America

Jansma is the 25833rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Jansma surname appeared 953 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 Jansma.

We can also compare 2010 data for Jansma 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 25833 27595 -6.60%
Count 953 822 14.76%
Proportion per 100k 0.32 0.30 6.45%

The history of the last name Jansma

The surname Jansma is of Dutch origin, dating back to the 16th century or earlier. It is believed to have originated in the northern provinces of the Netherlands, particularly in the region of Friesland. The name is derived from a patronymic form, meaning "son of Jans," where Jans is a shortened version of the Dutch name Johannes or Jan, which is the equivalent of John in English.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Jansma surname can be found in the Dutch census records of the late 16th and early 17th centuries. These records indicate that families with the Jansma surname were concentrated in the rural areas of Friesland, where they likely worked as farmers or tradesmen.

In the 17th century, a notable figure bearing the Jansma name was Pieter Jansma, a Dutch merchant and ship owner who was involved in the lucrative spice trade with the East Indies. Pieter Jansma was born in 1625 in the town of Leeuwarden, Friesland, and he played a significant role in the economic prosperity of the region during the Dutch Golden Age.

Another historical figure with the Jansma surname was Gerben Jansma, a Frisian poet and playwright who lived in the 18th century. Gerben Jansma was born in 1735 in the village of Wolvega, and he gained recognition for his satirical works that criticized the political and social conditions of his time.

In the 19th century, the Jansma surname spread beyond the Netherlands as Dutch immigrants began to settle in other parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and South Africa. One notable individual from this period was Trijntje Jansma, a Dutch immigrant who settled in Michigan in the late 1800s. Trijntje Jansma was born in 1845 in the village of Hindeloopen, Friesland, and she played a significant role in establishing a Dutch community in the city of Holland, Michigan.

Another individual of note was Jan Jansma, a Dutch-American farmer and entrepreneur who was born in 1865 in the Netherlands. He immigrated to the United States in the late 19th century and settled in Wisconsin, where he established a successful dairy farming business.

Throughout history, the Jansma surname has been associated with various occupations, including farming, trade, poetry, and entrepreneurship. While the name has its roots in the Netherlands, it has since spread to various parts of the world, reflecting the migration patterns of Dutch communities over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Jansma

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

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 Jansma was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 96.22% 917
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.52% 5
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 0.84% 8
Hispanic Origin 1.89% 18

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 Jansma has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 96.22% 96.11% 0.11%
Black 0.52% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races 0.84% 1.58% -61.16%
Hispanic 1.89% 1.58% 17.87%

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Jansma last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/jansma-surname-popularity/.

"Jansma last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/jansma-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 November, 2024

Jansma last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/jansma-surname-popularity/.

Search for a name

Search for a first or last name to learn more about its origin, meaning, and more.

Simple as that.