2000
#7,937
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,865
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.43
Rare Last name
Janson
Derived from the Hebrew name "John," meaning "God is gracious," or from the name "Jan," a Scandinavian form of John.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,228 Americans carry the last name Janson. That puts it at #8,565 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 81,068 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Janson 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Janson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.2K
1 in 81,068
Census rank
#8,565
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,687 bearers of the surname Janson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8565th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Janson, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Janson
The surname Janson is of Scandinavian origin, specifically from Sweden and Norway. It is derived from the personal name Johannes, which is the Scandinavian form of the Hebrew name John. The suffix "son" was commonly added to Scandinavian names to indicate the son of the person with that name.
During the Middle Ages, the name Janson was primarily found in regions of Sweden and Norway. It is believed to have originated as early as the 11th or 12th century when the use of hereditary surnames became more widespread in Scandinavia. The oldest known record of the name Janson dates back to a document from the year 1304, which mentions a man named Petrus Janson living in Dalarna, Sweden.
In the 14th century, the name Janson appeared in several medieval records and manuscripts in Sweden and Norway. One notable example is the Icelandic Landnámabók, which mentions a man named Thorbjorn Janson who settled in Iceland during the Viking Age.
The earliest recorded examples of the name Janson can be traced back to the 15th century. In 1487, a man named Hans Janson was listed as a resident of Gothenburg, Sweden. Another early record from 1523 mentions a farmer named Olof Janson living in Småland, Sweden.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname Janson. One of the most famous was the Swedish painter and engraver Cornelis Janson van Ceulen (1593-1664), who was known for his portraits and religious works. Another notable figure was the Swedish botanist and physician Nils Janson (1734-1789), who made significant contributions to the study of plant taxonomy.
Other prominent individuals with the surname Janson include:
1. Kristofer Janson (1841-1917), a Swedish painter and illustrator known for his depictions of rural life.
2. Eugene Jansson (1862-1915), a Swedish-American author and journalist who wrote extensively about the immigrant experience in the United States.
3. Hildur Janson (1887-1976), a Swedish artist and textile designer who played a significant role in the Swedish Arts and Crafts movement.
4. Sven Janson (1917-2003), a Swedish mathematician known for his work in combinatorics and graph theory.
5. Gunnar Janson (born 1938), a Swedish mathematician and professor emeritus at Uppsala University, who has made significant contributions to the field of probability theory.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Janson
Among Census respondents with the surname Janson, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Janson 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 Janson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.2% · 3,326
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 126
- Two or more races3.0% · 109
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 53
- Black or African American1.2% · 44
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 29
Timeline
Historical Census data for Janson
Janson 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
#8,408
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,930
+65 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 1.33
Rank movement Down 471 places
2020
#8,565
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,687
-243 bearers (-6.2%)
Per 100,000 1.23
Rank movement Down 157 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,937 | 3,865 | 1.43 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,408 | 3,930 | 1.33 | +65 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 471 places |
| 2020 | #8,565 | 3,687 | 1.23 | -243 bearers (-6.2%) | Down 157 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 Janson 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 | #8,408 | #8,565 | -1.9% |
| Count | 3,930 | 3,687 | -6.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.33 | 1.23 | -7.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Janson bearers went from 3,930 to 3,687 (-6.2% change). The surname moved down 157 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,408 to #8,565.
FAQ
Janson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Janson?
Name Census estimates that about 4,228 living Americans carry the surname Janson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 81,068 residents.
How common is Janson?
Janson ranks #8,565 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.23 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,687 people with the surname Janson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,228), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.23 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Janson.
Has Janson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Janson went from 3,930 recorded bearers to 3,687. That is a decrease of 243 (-6.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,408 to #8,565.
What does the Census say about the background of Janson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Janson, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Janson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.2% (3,326 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Janson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.2%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Janson (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 Janson mean?
Derived from the Hebrew name "John," meaning "God is gracious," or from the name "Jan," a Scandinavian form of John. 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 Janson (1.23 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 Janson?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Janson, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.