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

Janssens, 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 Janssens surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Janssens in America

Janssens is the 39486th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Janssens surname appeared 557 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 Janssens.

We can also compare 2010 data for Janssens 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 Janssens

The surname Janssens originated in the Netherlands and Belgium during the late Middle Ages. It is a patronymic name, derived from the given name Jan, a Dutch form of John. The name was initially written as "Janssen" or "Jansen," meaning "son of Jan."

In the 15th and 16th centuries, the Dutch and Flemish regions saw an influx of surnames, as people began adopting hereditary names. The patronymic suffix "-sen" or "-ssens" was commonly added to the father's given name to create a family name. This practice was prevalent among the Dutch and Flemish communities in the Low Countries.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Janssens can be found in the archives of the city of Antwerp, Belgium, dating back to the late 16th century. A document from 1587 mentions a certain "Pieter Janssens," a merchant residing in the city.

During the 17th century, the Janssens name gained prominence in the Dutch Republic, particularly in the provinces of Holland and Zeeland. Notable individuals with this surname include Cornelis Janssens (1593-1661), a Dutch Golden Age painter known for his portraits and historical scenes.

In the 18th century, the Janssens family established itself as a prominent lineage in the Southern Netherlands (present-day Belgium). Abraham Janssens (1575-1632) was a Flemish Baroque painter renowned for his religious works and mythological scenes, while Victor Honoré Janssens (1658-1736) was a distinguished Belgian sculptor and architect.

As the Dutch and Flemish communities migrated to other parts of Europe and the Americas, the Janssens surname spread across various regions. In the 19th century, Petrus Josephus Janssens (1834-1925) was a Belgian Catholic prelate who served as the Superior General of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (Redemptorists) from 1888 to 1909.

Another notable figure was Marcel Janssens (1931-1992), a Belgian composer and conductor who gained international recognition for his orchestral and choral works, including the oratorio "Golgotha."

While the Janssens surname has its roots in the Low Countries, it has since been adopted by families worldwide, particularly in regions with Dutch and Belgian cultural influences.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Janssens

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

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

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

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