2000
#10,773
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,718
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.01
Rare Last name
Jepsen
A surname of Danish origin, derived from the personal name Jeppe, a variant of Jacob meaning "supplanter."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,102 Americans carry the last name Jepsen. That puts it at #11,183 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.90 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 110,495 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jepsen 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
3.1K
1 in 110,495
Census rank
#11,183
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,705 bearers of the surname Jepsen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.90 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11183rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jepsen, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jepsen
The surname JEPSEN originated in Denmark and is believed to have its roots in the Old Norse language. It is derived from the personal name Jeppe, a diminutive form of the name Jacob. The name Jeppe was quite common in medieval Denmark and was often used as a nickname or a shortened version of the name Jacob.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name JEPSEN can be found in the Lund Census of 1610, where a man named Jeppe Jepsen is listed as a resident of the city of Lund. This indicates that the surname was already in use by the early 17th century in Denmark.
In the late 17th century, the Danish writer and poet Jeppe Pedersen Abildgaard (1663-1723) was born. He is considered one of the pioneers of Danish literature and is known for his satirical works critiquing the society of his time.
During the 18th century, the name JEPSEN appeared in various historical records, including church registers and tax records. One notable individual was Jeppe Jepsen (1730-1802), a Danish farmer and landowner who lived in the village of Gjellerup on the Jutland peninsula.
In the 19th century, the Danish artist Jeppe Jepsen Lund (1819-1892) gained recognition for his landscapes and portraits. His works are displayed in several museums in Denmark and abroad.
Another notable figure was Jeppe Jepsen Sørensen (1842-1924), a Danish politician who served as a member of the Folketing (Danish Parliament) and was a vocal advocate for workers' rights and social reforms.
In the early 20th century, Jeppe Jepsen Lerche (1899-1976) was a Danish naval officer who played a significant role in the resistance movement during World War II. He was involved in the evacuation of Danish Jews to Sweden and received several medals for his bravery and service to the nation.
While the surname JEPSEN has its roots in Denmark, it has also been adopted by individuals in other parts of the world, particularly in areas with Danish immigration or cultural influence.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jepsen
Among Census respondents with the surname Jepsen, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Jepsen 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 Jepsen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 2,493
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 95
- Two or more races2.8% · 77
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 27
- Black or African American0.4% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jepsen
Jepsen 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
#11,377
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,772
+54 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 0.94
Rank movement Down 604 places
2020
#11,183
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,705
-67 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Up 194 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,773 | 2,718 | 1.01 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,377 | 2,772 | 0.94 | +54 bearers (+2.0%) | Down 604 places |
| 2020 | #11,183 | 2,705 | 0.90 | -67 bearers (-2.4%) | Up 194 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 Jepsen 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 | #11,377 | #11,183 | 1.7% |
| Count | 2,772 | 2,705 | -2.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.94 | 0.90 | -3.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jepsen bearers went from 2,772 to 2,705 (-2.4% change). The surname moved up 194 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,377 to #11,183.
FAQ
Jepsen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jepsen?
Name Census estimates that about 3,102 living Americans carry the surname Jepsen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 110,495 residents.
How common is Jepsen?
Jepsen ranks #11,183 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.90 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 2,705 people with the surname Jepsen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,102), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.9 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.90 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 Jepsen.
Has Jepsen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jepsen went from 2,772 recorded bearers to 2,705. That is a decrease of 67 (-2.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,377 to #11,183.
What does the Census say about the background of Jepsen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jepsen, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Jepsen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (2,493 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jepsen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Hispanic (3.5%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Jepsen (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 Jepsen mean?
A surname of Danish origin, derived from the personal name Jeppe, a variant of Jacob meaning "supplanter." 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 Jepsen (0.90 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 are called Jepsen?
See how common the surname Jepsen is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.