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

Jergensen, 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 Jergensen surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Jergensen in America

Jergensen is the 72105th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Jergensen surname appeared 270 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Jergensen.

We can also compare 2010 data for Jergensen 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 Jergensen

The surname JERGENSEN originated in Denmark and is of Danish descent. It is derived from the old Danish personal name "Jørgen," which is the Danish form of the name George. The name Jørgen ultimately comes from the Greek name "Georgios," meaning "earth-worker" or "farmer."

JERGENSEN is a patronymic surname, meaning it was originally formed by adding the suffix "-sen" (meaning "son of") to the personal name Jørgen. Thus, JERGENSEN literally means "son of Jørgen."

The earliest recorded instances of the JERGENSEN surname can be traced back to the late 16th century in Denmark. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Jens Jergensen, a Danish farmer who lived in the village of Ribe in the late 1500s.

In the 17th century, the JERGENSEN surname began to spread across Denmark and into other Scandinavian countries, particularly Norway and Sweden. It also made its way to other parts of Europe and eventually to the Americas as Danish immigrants settled in these regions.

One notable bearer of the JERGENSEN surname was Jørgen Jergensen, a Danish naval officer and explorer who was born in 1770 and died in 1833. He is best known for his exploration of the west coast of Greenland and his work in mapping and charting the region.

Another famous JERGENSEN was Niels Jergensen, a Danish painter who lived from 1808 to 1867. He is regarded as one of the most important Danish painters of the Golden Age of Danish Painting and is known for his landscapes and portraits.

In the 19th century, the JERGENSEN surname gained prominence in the United States as Danish immigrants settled in various parts of the country. One notable American JERGENSEN was Peter Jergensen, a Danish-American businessman and philanthropist who lived from 1828 to 1912. He founded the Jergensen Brewing Company in Chicago and was a prominent figure in the city's Danish community.

Other notable bearers of the JERGENSEN surname include Hans Jergensen, a Danish architect who lived from 1886 to 1953 and is known for his work in the National Romantic style, and Jens Jergensen, a Danish chess player who was born in 1947 and represented Denmark in several international competitions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Jergensen

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

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

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

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