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

Jansson, 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 Jansson surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Jansson in America

Jansson is the 18751st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Jansson surname appeared 1,463 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Jansson.

We can also compare 2010 data for Jansson 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 Jansson

The surname Jansson is of Swedish origin, derived from the patronymic naming system common in Scandinavia. It stems from the personal name Jan, a variant of the biblical name John, combined with the Swedish suffix "-son" meaning "son of."

Jansson can be traced back to the medieval period in Sweden, emerging as a patronymic surname in the 13th and 14th centuries. It was particularly prevalent in the regions of Småland, Östergötland, and Västergötland, where the name Jan was widely used.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Jansson appears in the Älvsborg County Court records from 1540, where a man named Nils Jansson is mentioned. Additionally, the name is found in the Swedish Census Book (Mantalslängder) from the 17th century, indicating its widespread use among Swedish families.

The Jansson surname has been associated with notable individuals throughout history. One such figure was Lars Jansson (1666-1732), a Swedish merchant and shipowner who played a significant role in the development of the city of Gothenburg's maritime trade.

Another notable bearer of the name was Sven Jansson (1758-1835), a Swedish botanist and professor at the University of Uppsala. He made significant contributions to the study of Scandinavian flora and published several works on the subject.

In the realm of art, Eugene Jansson (1862-1915) was a renowned Swedish painter and a prominent member of the Konstnärsförbundet (Artists' Association) in Stockholm. His works often depicted scenes from rural life and are celebrated for their vivid colors and naturalistic style.

The name Jansson has also been associated with literary figures, such as Tove Jansson (1914-2001), the Finnish-Swedish author and illustrator best known for creating the beloved Moomin characters and books. Her works have been translated into numerous languages and have garnered global acclaim.

Another notable bearer of the surname was Ingvar Jansson (1926-2010), a Swedish actor and director who had a prolific career in both film and theater. He was particularly renowned for his performances in the works of August Strindberg and received numerous accolades for his contributions to Swedish cinema.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Jansson

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

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

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

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