2000
#116,835
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 138
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Jenzen
A German surname derived from the personal name Jens, a variant of Johannes.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Jenzen. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jenzen 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Jenzen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jenzen, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jenzen
The surname Jenzen is believed to have originated in Germany, with roots tracing back to the early medieval period. It is derived from the Germanic personal name "Jenzo," which itself comes from the Old High German word "ganzo," meaning "goose." This suggests that the name may have initially been applied as a nickname or a descriptive name, perhaps referring to someone who worked with geese or had some association with these birds.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Jenzen can be found in the Codex Traditionum Westfalicarum, a collection of medieval charters and documents from the region of Westphalia, Germany, dating back to the 9th century. The name appears in various spellings, such as "Jenso" and "Jentzo," reflecting the linguistic changes and local variations over time.
In the 12th century, the name Jenzen surfaces in the Breviarium Sancti Lulli, a manuscript containing the life and miracles of Saint Lullus, the patron saint of the city of Hersfeld in Hesse, Germany. This suggests that the name may have been present in the region during that time period.
Notable individuals bearing the surname Jenzen include Johannes Jenzen, a German theologian and rector of the University of Erfurt in the late 15th century. Another prominent figure was Friedrich Jenzen, a 16th-century German composer and organist who served at the court of Prince-Elector Johann Georg I of Saxony.
In the 17th century, the name Jenzen is recorded in connection with the town of Jenzenhausen, located in the modern-day state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. This place name likely derives from the surname itself, indicating the presence of a family or group of people bearing this name in the area.
One of the most notable individuals with the surname Jenzen was Carl Friedrich Jenzen, a German mathematician and astronomer born in 1801. He made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics and served as the director of the observatory in Mannheim, Germany.
Another individual worth mentioning is Wilhelm Jenzen, a German architect and urban planner born in 1845. He was responsible for the design and construction of several notable buildings in the city of Hamburg, including the former Rathausmarkt-Brunnen fountain.
While the surname Jenzen is not among the most common in Germany or other parts of the world, it has a long and rich history, with roots stretching back to the early medieval period in central Europe. The name's etymology and various spellings over time provide insights into the linguistic and cultural evolution of the regions where it was present.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jenzen
Among Census respondents with the surname Jenzen, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Jenzen 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 Jenzen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.9% · 107
- Hispanic or Latino6.7% · 8
- Two or more races3.4% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jenzen
Jenzen 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
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-26 bearers (-18.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 30,418 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+7 bearers (+6.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,465 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #116,835 | 138 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | -26 bearers (-18.8%) | Down 30,418 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.3%) | Up 4,465 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 Jenzen 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 | #147,253 | #142,788 | 3.0% |
| Count | 112 | 119 | 6.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jenzen bearers went from 112 to 119 (+6.3% change). The surname moved up 4,465 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #142,788.
FAQ
Jenzen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jenzen?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Jenzen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Jenzen?
Jenzen ranks #142,788 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 119 people with the surname Jenzen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Jenzen.
Has Jenzen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jenzen went from 112 recorded bearers to 119. That is an increase of 7 (+6.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #147,253 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Jenzen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jenzen, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%) and Two or More Races (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 Jenzen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.9% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jenzen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.9%), Hispanic (6.7%), Two or More Races (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 Jenzen (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 Jenzen mean?
A German surname derived from the personal name Jens, a variant of Johannes. 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 Jenzen (0.04 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 share the surname Jenzen?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.