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

Johannsen, 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 Johannsen surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Johannsen in America

Johannsen is the 11993rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Johannsen surname appeared 2,604 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Johannsen.

We can also compare 2010 data for Johannsen 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 Johannsen

The surname Johannsen has its origins in Scandinavia, specifically Denmark. It is derived from the personal name Johannes, which is the Scandinavian form of the Hebrew name John, meaning "God is gracious." The suffix "-sen" is a patronymic, indicating that the name originally referred to the son of someone named Johannes.

Johannsen is believed to have emerged as a surname in the late Middle Ages, around the 13th or 14th century, when the practice of adopting hereditary surnames became more widespread in Scandinavia. The name was initially found in various parts of Denmark, particularly in the northern and central regions.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Johannsen can be found in the Danish Census Book (Dansk Diplomatarium) from the 15th century, which lists several individuals with this surname. In the 16th century, the name appears in various parish records and court documents across Denmark.

Regarding place names, the surname Johannsen has been associated with localities such as Johanneshavn and Johannessund, which were named after individuals bearing this name. However, it is important to note that the surname itself is not directly derived from a specific place name.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Johannsen:

1. Viggo Johannsen (1851-1927), a Danish botanist and geneticist known for his contributions to the study of genetics and the concept of genotype-phenotype distinction.
2. Albert Johannsen (1857-1927), a Danish painter and illustrator known for his depictions of rural life and landscapes.
3. Niels Johannsen (1892-1964), a Danish author and playwright who wrote several novels and plays depicting the lives of ordinary people in Denmark.
4. Axel Johannsen (1888-1968), a Danish politician and trade unionist who served as a member of the Danish parliament and played a significant role in labor rights movements.
5. Inger Johannsen (1923-2016), a Danish actress and singer who appeared in numerous films and theater productions throughout her career.

It's important to note that while the surname Johannsen has its roots in Denmark, it has also been adopted by individuals in other Scandinavian countries and beyond, as families migrated and settled in different regions over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Johannsen

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!