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

Johansen, 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 Johansen surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Johansen in America

Johansen is the 3619th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Johansen surname appeared 9,815 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Johansen.

We can also compare 2010 data for Johansen 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 Johansen

The surname Johansen is of Scandinavian origin, primarily found in Denmark and Norway. It is a patronymic surname, meaning it is derived from a given name and the suffix "-sen" which denotes "son of." The name can be traced back to the 11th century when it was formed from the medieval Danish name Johan, itself derived from the Hebrew name Yohanan, meaning "Yahweh is gracious."

In its earliest known form, the surname was spelled "Johanssøn" in Danish and "Johannsson" in Norwegian. These spellings reflect the Nordic languages' use of double consonants and the letter "ø" (a vowel sound similar to the English "u" in "burn"). The spelling "Johansen" emerged later as the name spread and was influenced by German orthographic conventions.

The name is found in several medieval records, including the Danish Census Book of 1645, which lists several individuals with the surname Johansen living in various parts of Denmark. One notable early bearer of the name was Nils Johansen, a Norwegian explorer who is believed to have been the first European to set foot in Antarctica in the early 17th century.

In the 18th century, the Johansen name gained prominence with the birth of the Norwegian mathematician and cartographer Søren Johansen (1730-1804), who was instrumental in mapping the coastlines of Norway and parts of Greenland. Another notable figure was the Danish politician and writer Jens Johansen (1795-1875), who served as a member of the Danish parliament and published several works on political theory.

The 19th century saw the rise of several prominent Johansens, including the Norwegian painter Christian Johansen (1832-1917), whose landscapes and seascapes captured the rugged beauty of Norway's fjords and mountains. Another notable figure was the Danish explorer Frits Johansen (1882-1933), who led several expeditions to Greenland and was among the first to explore the interior of the island.

In the 20th century, the Johansen name gained international recognition with the accomplishments of the Norwegian explorer Hjalmar Johansen (1867-1913), who accompanied Fridtjof Nansen on his famous expedition to the North Pole in 1893-1896. Another notable figure was the Danish film director Bille Johansen (1915-2007), whose movies explored themes of love, loss, and the human condition.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Johansen

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

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

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

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