2000
#13,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.79
Rare Last name
Janus
Derived from the Roman god of beginnings and endings, often depicted with two faces looking in opposite directions.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,186 Americans carry the last name Janus. That puts it at #14,909 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 156,795 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Janus 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 Janus with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.2K
1 in 156,795
Census rank
#14,909
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,906 bearers of the surname Janus in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14909th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Janus, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Janus
The surname Janus is of Latin origin, derived from the name of the Roman god Janus, who was the god of beginnings, transitions, and endings. This name was likely adopted as a surname during the medieval period, particularly in regions with strong Roman influences, such as Italy and parts of France.
In ancient Roman mythology, Janus was often depicted as a two-faced god, with one face looking towards the past and the other towards the future. This symbolic representation may have contributed to the adoption of the name as a surname, perhaps indicating a family's connection to transitional periods or their ability to look both ways.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Janus can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The entry mentions a landowner named Iohannes Ianus, suggesting the name's presence in England during the Norman period.
During the Middle Ages, the name Janus appeared in various forms, such as Ianus, Ianne, and Iané, reflecting the linguistic variations and dialects of the time. Some scholars have also suggested connections between the name Janus and the Latin word "ianua," meaning door or gateway, further emphasizing its symbolic associations with transitions and beginnings.
Notable historical figures with the surname Janus include:
1. Janus Lascaris (c. 1445-1535), a renowned Greek scholar and diplomat who played a significant role in the revival of classical Greek learning in the Renaissance era.
2. Janus Gruterus (1560-1627), a Dutch scholar and writer, best known for his extensive work on ancient Roman inscriptions and manuscripts.
3. Janus Dousa (1545-1604), a Dutch poet, historian, and politician who served as the Lord of Noordwijk and was a prominent figure in the Dutch Revolt against Spanish rule.
4. Janus Vitalis (c. 1492-1561), an Italian humanist and philosopher who was a key figure in the intellectual circles of the Renaissance period.
5. Janus Pannonius (1434-1472), a renowned Hungarian Renaissance humanist poet and Bishop of Pécs, considered one of the most important representatives of Hungarian Humanism.
The surname Janus has also been associated with various place names and locations throughout history, such as the town of Janus in Normandy, France, and the village of Janus in the Lubuskie region of western Poland.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Janus
Among Census respondents with the surname Janus, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Janus 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 Janus surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.1% · 1,737
- Two or more races3.5% · 66
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 64
- Black or African American0.8% · 15
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Janus
Janus 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
#13,903
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,172
+54 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Down 683 places
2020
#14,909
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,906
-266 bearers (-12.2%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Down 1,006 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,220 | 2,118 | 0.79 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,903 | 2,172 | 0.74 | +54 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 683 places |
| 2020 | #14,909 | 1,906 | 0.64 | -266 bearers (-12.2%) | Down 1,006 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 Janus 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 | #13,903 | #14,909 | -7.2% |
| Count | 2,172 | 1,906 | -12.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.74 | 0.64 | -13.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Janus bearers went from 2,172 to 1,906 (-12.2% change). The surname moved down 1,006 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,903 to #14,909.
FAQ
Janus surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Janus?
Name Census estimates that about 2,186 living Americans carry the surname Janus. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 156,795 residents.
How common is Janus?
Janus ranks #14,909 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.64 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 1,906 people with the surname Janus. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,186), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.64 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 Janus.
Has Janus become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Janus went from 2,172 recorded bearers to 1,906. That is a decrease of 266 (-12.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,903 to #14,909.
What does the Census say about the background of Janus?
Among Census respondents with the surname Janus, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Janus in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (1,737 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Janus appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.1%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Janus (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 Janus mean?
Derived from the Roman god of beginnings and endings, often depicted with two faces looking in opposite directions. 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 Janus (0.64 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 have the last name Janus?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Janus at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.