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

Jespersen, 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 Jespersen surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Jespersen in America

Jespersen is the 20617th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Jespersen surname appeared 1,285 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 Jespersen.

We can also compare 2010 data for Jespersen 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 Jespersen

The surname Jespersen is of Danish origin, derived from the patronymic naming system used in Scandinavian countries. It is a combination of the personal name Jesper, a Danish form of the biblical name Jasper, and the suffix "-sen," meaning "son of."

Jespersen is believed to have originated in the late Middle Ages, around the 14th or 15th century, when the use of hereditary surnames became more widespread in Denmark. The name was initially used to identify individuals as the sons of a man named Jesper.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Danish Census Church Records, which date back to the 16th century. These records were maintained by parish churches and often documented births, marriages, and deaths within local communities.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, the Jespersen name appeared in various Danish historical documents, such as land records, legal documents, and parish registers. Some notable individuals bearing this surname during this period include:

1. Jens Jespersen (1604-1681), a Danish Lutheran bishop and theologian.
2. Niels Jespersen (1647-1708), a Danish astronomer and mathematician who made significant contributions to the study of comets.

During the 19th century, the Jespersen surname gained prominence in Denmark and other parts of Scandinavia. One notable figure from this period was:

3. Otto Jespersen (1860-1943), a Danish linguist and philologist who made significant contributions to the field of English language studies.

As Danish immigrants began to settle in other parts of the world, the Jespersen name also spread to other countries. In the United States, some notable individuals with this surname include:

4. Henry Jespersen (1871-1949), a Danish-American architect best known for designing several iconic buildings in Los Angeles, including the Mayan Theater.
5. Knud Jespersen (1914-2003), a Danish-American economist and professor who taught at the University of California, Berkeley, and made significant contributions to the field of international trade theory.

While the Jespersen surname has Danish roots, it has become more widespread in modern times, with individuals bearing this name found in various parts of the world, particularly in countries with significant Danish or Scandinavian populations.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Jespersen

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

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

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

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