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

Jonassen, 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 Jonassen surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Jonassen in America

Jonassen is the 64388th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Jonassen surname appeared 309 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 Jonassen.

We can also compare 2010 data for Jonassen 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 Jonassen

The surname Jonassen originated in the Scandinavian countries, particularly Norway and Denmark. It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century. The name is derived from the Norse personal name "Jonas," which itself comes from the Hebrew name "Yonah" meaning "dove."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Jonassen can be found in the Danish Census Records of 1645, where a family with the surname is listed as residing in the town of Roskilde. This suggests that the name had already been established in Denmark by the mid-17th century.

In Norway, the earliest known record of the Jonassen surname appears in the Baptismal Records of the Trondheim Parish, dated 1691. Here, a child named Hans Jonassen is listed, indicating that the surname was in use among Norwegian families by the late 17th century.

The name Jonassen is thought to have originated as a patronymic, meaning "son of Jonas." In the Norse naming tradition, it was common to add the suffix "-sen" or "-sson" to a father's name to indicate the son's lineage. This practice was widespread in Scandinavia during the Middle Ages and continued into modern times.

One notable individual with the surname Jonassen was Viggo Jonassen (1857-1925), a Norwegian painter and illustrator known for his landscapes and depictions of rural life. Another prominent figure was Bjarne Jonassen (1894-1983), a Danish politician who served as the Minister of Defense and Minister of Finance in the mid-20th century.

Other historical figures bearing the Jonassen surname include:

1. Erik Jonassen (1890-1977), a Danish architect and urban planner.
2. Niels Jonassen (1903-1971), a Danish boxer who competed in the 1924 and 1928 Summer Olympics.
3. Ingrid Jonassen (1874-1955), a Norwegian author and playwright.
4. Hans Jonassen (1876-1944), a Danish businessman and entrepreneur.
5. Jørgen Jonassen (1905-1985), a Norwegian theologian and academic.

While the surname Jonassen is most prevalent in Norway and Denmark, it has also spread to other parts of the world through emigration and migration patterns. However, its roots can be traced back to the Nordic countries, where it has been a part of the cultural fabric for centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Jonassen

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Jonassen, 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!