2000
#7,198
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,276
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.59
Rare Last name
Jessen
Danish and Norwegian patronymic surname meaning "son of Jess" or "son of Jes," derived from the given name Jes.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,864 Americans carry the last name Jessen. That puts it at #7,552 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.42 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 70,468 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jessen 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Jessen with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.9K
1 in 70,468
Census rank
#7,552
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,242 bearers of the surname Jessen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.42 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7552nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jessen, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jessen
The surname Jessen has its origins in Denmark, with the name believed to have been derived from the Old Norse personal name "Jesse". This name itself is thought to have come from the Hebrew name "Yishay", meaning "gift" or "wealthy".
The earliest recorded instances of the name Jessen can be traced back to the early 16th century in various parish records and census documents from the Danish regions of Zealand and Jutland. Some of the earliest spellings of the name included Iessen, Jessøn, and Jessøen.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Jessen was Hans Jessen, a merchant and landowner who lived in the town of Næstved on the island of Zealand in the late 16th century. Another notable figure was Nis Jessen, a farmer and local official who resided in the village of Ølgod in western Jutland during the early 17th century.
The Jessen surname is also associated with several place names in Denmark, such as the village of Jessen near Holbæk on the island of Zealand, and the town of Jels in southern Jutland. These place names may have influenced the development and spread of the surname in certain regions.
One of the most prominent individuals with the Jessen surname was Peter Jessen, a Danish lawyer and politician who served as the Minister of Justice from 1859 to 1863. He was born in 1813 in the town of Ribe and played a significant role in the drafting of Denmark's first democratic constitution.
Another notable figure was Jens Christian Jessen, a Danish educator and author who lived from 1821 to 1901. He was a prominent advocate for the education of the deaf and wrote several influential works on the subject.
In the field of science, the name Jessen is associated with Theodor Jessen, a German-Danish botanist and mycologist who made significant contributions to the study of fungi. He was born in 1836 in the Danish town of Sønderborg and published numerous works on the flora of northern Europe.
While the surname Jessen is predominantly found in Denmark and other Scandinavian countries, it has also been carried by individuals of Danish descent in other parts of the world, particularly in regions with historically significant Danish communities or settlements.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jessen
Among Census respondents with the surname Jessen, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Jessen 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 Jessen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.9% · 3,856
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 202
- Two or more races3.1% · 132
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 38
- Black or African American0.2% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jessen
Jessen 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
#7,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,553
+277 bearers (+6.5%)
Per 100,000 1.54
Rank movement Down 129 places
2020
#7,552
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,242
-311 bearers (-6.8%)
Per 100,000 1.42
Rank movement Down 225 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,198 | 4,276 | 1.59 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,327 | 4,553 | 1.54 | +277 bearers (+6.5%) | Down 129 places |
| 2020 | #7,552 | 4,242 | 1.42 | -311 bearers (-6.8%) | Down 225 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 Jessen 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 | #7,327 | #7,552 | -3.1% |
| Count | 4,553 | 4,242 | -6.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.54 | 1.42 | -7.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jessen bearers went from 4,553 to 4,242 (-6.8% change). The surname moved down 225 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,327 to #7,552.
FAQ
Jessen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jessen?
Name Census estimates that about 4,864 living Americans carry the surname Jessen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 70,468 residents.
How common is Jessen?
Jessen ranks #7,552 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.42 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 4,242 people with the surname Jessen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,864), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.42 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.42 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 Jessen.
Has Jessen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jessen went from 4,553 recorded bearers to 4,242. That is a decrease of 311 (-6.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,327 to #7,552.
What does the Census say about the background of Jessen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jessen, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Jessen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.9% (3,856 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jessen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.9%), Hispanic (4.8%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Jessen (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 Jessen mean?
Danish and Norwegian patronymic surname meaning "son of Jess" or "son of Jes," derived from the given name Jes. 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 Jessen (1.42 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 Jessen?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.