2000
#96,033
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 176
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.07
Very Rare Last name
Jensvold
A surname of Norwegian origin, possibly derived from places named Jensvoll.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 219 Americans carry the last name Jensvold. That puts it at #100,867 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,565,088 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jensvold 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.
Bearers in the US
219
1 in 1,565,088
Census rank
#100,867
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
191
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 191 bearers of the surname Jensvold in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 100867th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jensvold, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jensvold
The surname Jensvold is of Norwegian origin and dates back to the 9th century. It is believed to have originated in the region of Vestfold, located in the southeastern part of Norway. The name is derived from the Old Norse words "Jón" meaning "John" and "vollr" meaning "field" or "meadow."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Jensvold can be found in the Gulating Law, a Norwegian provincial law code from the 12th century. The name appears in a list of landowners and freeholders from the Vestfold region.
In the 14th century, a man named Jens Jensvold is mentioned in the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, a collection of Norwegian medieval documents. He is recorded as owning a farm in the village of Ramnes, located in the county of Vestfold.
During the 16th century, the name Jensvold was also associated with the Norwegian nobility. A nobleman named Jens Jensvold (c. 1520-1589) is recorded as having served as a councilor to King Christian III of Denmark and Norway.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name Jensvold in modern times was Jens Jensvold (1788-1862), a Norwegian farmer and landowner from the village of Sande in Vestfold. His son, Jens Jensvold (1820-1896), became a prominent merchant and shipowner in the city of Tønsberg.
Another notable individual with the surname Jensvold was Hans Jensvold (1892-1968), a Norwegian-American author and journalist. He was born in Tønsberg, Norway, and later emigrated to the United States, where he worked as a writer and editor for various Norwegian-American publications.
In more recent times, the name Jensvold has been associated with academic and scientific fields. Priscilla Jensvold (1943-2021) was an American anthropologist and primatologist known for her research on chimpanzee behavior and communication.
While the surname Jensvold is relatively uncommon outside of Norway and Norwegian-American communities, it remains an important part of Norwegian cultural heritage, reflecting the country's rich history and linguistic traditions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jensvold
Among Census respondents with the surname Jensvold, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Jensvold 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 Jensvold surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.5% · 169
- Two or more races4.7% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.7% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.6% · 3
- Black or African American1.0% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.5% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jensvold
Jensvold 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
#86,005
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 217
+41 bearers (+23.3%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Up 10,028 places
2020
#100,867
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 191
-26 bearers (-12.0%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 14,862 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #96,033 | 176 | 0.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #86,005 | 217 | 0.07 | +41 bearers (+23.3%) | Up 10,028 places |
| 2020 | #100,867 | 191 | 0.06 | -26 bearers (-12.0%) | Down 14,862 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 Jensvold 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 | #86,005 | #100,867 | -17.3% |
| Count | 217 | 191 | -12.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.06 | -8.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jensvold bearers went from 217 to 191 (-12.0% change). The surname moved down 14,862 positions in the national ranking, going from #86,005 to #100,867.
FAQ
Jensvold surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jensvold?
Name Census estimates that about 219 living Americans carry the surname Jensvold. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,565,088 residents.
How common is Jensvold?
Jensvold ranks #100,867 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 191 people with the surname Jensvold. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (219), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Jensvold.
Has Jensvold become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jensvold went from 217 recorded bearers to 191. That is a decrease of 26 (-12.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #86,005 to #100,867.
What does the Census say about the background of Jensvold?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jensvold, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.7%). 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 Jensvold in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.5% (169 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jensvold appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.5%), Two or More Races (4.7%), American Indian/Alaska Native (3.7%). 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 Jensvold (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 Jensvold mean?
A surname of Norwegian origin, possibly derived from places named Jensvoll. 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 Jensvold (0.06 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 Jensvold?
Find out how many people are called Jensvold on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.