2000
#131,366
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Josenhans
A locational surname derived from the German village name Josenhansen.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Josenhans. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Josenhans 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.
Bearers in the US
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Josenhans in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Josenhans, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.8%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Josenhans
The surname Josenhans has its origins in Germany, tracing back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from a combination of the German words "Josen" and "Hans," indicating a patronymic name - a name derived from the father's given name.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Josenhans can be found in various regional records and parish registers from the German states of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. The name appears to have been particularly prevalent in the towns and villages around the Black Forest region.
One of the earliest documented references to the Josenhans surname is found in the baptismal records of St. Peter's Church in Freiburg, dating back to 1587. The entry mentions a child named Johannes Josenhans, whose father's name was likely Hans or a variation thereof.
In the 17th century, the Josenhans name gained prominence with the rise of a notable family of merchants and landowners in the town of Pforzheim. This family was instrumental in the development of the local jewelry and watchmaking industries, which Pforzheim is still known for today.
A prominent figure from this family was Wilhelm Josenhans (1621-1695), a successful businessman and philanthropist who contributed significantly to the town's development. His son, Johann Friedrich Josenhans (1658-1723), continued the family's legacy and became a respected civic leader and patron of the arts.
Another notable individual with the Josenhans surname was Friedrich Josenhans (1809-1884), a German architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings in cities like Stuttgart and Heidelberg. His work played a crucial role in shaping the architectural landscape of these cities in the 19th century.
In the early 20th century, the Josenhans name made its way into the world of literature with the poet and writer Maria Josenhans (1886-1969). Her works, which often explored themes of nature and spirituality, earned her recognition within German literary circles of her time.
While the Josenhans surname originated in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to emigration. However, its roots remain firmly tied to the historical regions of southwestern Germany, where it first emerged and flourished over several centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Josenhans
Among Census respondents with the surname Josenhans, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.8%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Josenhans 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 Josenhans surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.3% · 91
- Hispanic or Latino6.8% · 7
- Two or more races3.9% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Josenhans
Josenhans 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
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-3 bearers (-2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,783 places
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-13 bearers (-11.2%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 11,033 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #131,366 | 119 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.5%) | Down 11,783 places |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | -13 bearers (-11.2%) | Down 11,033 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 Josenhans 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 | #143,149 | #154,182 | -7.7% |
| Count | 116 | 103 | -11.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Josenhans bearers went from 116 to 103 (-11.2% change). The surname moved down 11,033 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #154,182.
FAQ
Josenhans surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Josenhans?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Josenhans. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Josenhans?
Josenhans ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 103 people with the surname Josenhans. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Josenhans.
Has Josenhans become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Josenhans went from 116 recorded bearers to 103. That is a decrease of 13 (-11.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Josenhans?
Among Census respondents with the surname Josenhans, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.8%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Josenhans in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.3% (91 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Josenhans appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.3%), Hispanic (6.8%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Josenhans (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 Josenhans mean?
A locational surname derived from the German village name Josenhansen. 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 Josenhans (0.03 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 have the last name Josenhans?
Want to know how common the surname Josenhans is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.