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

Jorgensen, 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 Jorgensen surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Jorgensen in America

Jorgensen is the 1728th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Jorgensen surname appeared 20,731 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 7 people would have the surname Jorgensen.

We can also compare 2010 data for Jorgensen 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 Jorgensen

The surname Jorgensen is of Danish origin, originating in the medieval period. It is a patronymic name, derived from the personal name "Jorgen", which was a common Danish form of the name George. Jorgen itself comes from the Greek name "Georgios", meaning "farmer" or "earth-worker".

The earliest recorded instances of the name Jorgensen date back to the 13th century in Denmark. It was often written as "Jørgensen" in its original Danish spelling. The name likely emerged as a way to distinguish the son of someone named Jorgen from others with the same first name.

Historical records show that the Jorgensen name was particularly prevalent in the regions of Jutland and Zealand in Denmark during the Middle Ages. It was also found in areas of modern-day Germany and Sweden that had Danish influence or settlements at the time.

One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Jorgensen was Jens Jorgensen, a Danish merchant who lived in the late 14th century. He was recorded in documents related to trade between Denmark and the Hanseatic League cities in northern Germany.

Another notable early bearer of the name was Niels Jorgensen, a Danish farmer and landowner who lived in the 15th century. He was mentioned in records pertaining to land ownership and taxation in the village of Svendborg on the island of Funen.

In the 16th century, the explorer Jørgen Jørgensen, also known as Jorge Jorgensen, was born in Denmark around 1510. He later settled in the Spanish colony of Peru and became one of the first Europeans to explore the Amazon River.

The Danish astronomer Jorgen Jorgensen Ibsen, born in 1701, was another prominent individual with the surname. He made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics and is remembered for his work on the calculation of comet orbits.

Finally, Hans Christian Jorgensen, born in 1836, was a notable Danish painter and illustrator during the Romantic period. He is known for his landscapes and scenes depicting rural life in Denmark.

These are just a few examples of the many individuals throughout history who have borne the surname Jorgensen, reflecting its long-standing Danish origins and presence across various fields and walks of life.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Jorgensen

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

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

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

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