2000
#14,349
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,914
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.71
Rare Last name
Jurgensen
Son of Jürgen, a Germanic personal name derived from Georg, meaning "farmer" or "earth worker."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,097 Americans carry the last name Jurgensen. That puts it at #15,438 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 163,450 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jurgensen 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
2.1K
1 in 163,450
Census rank
#15,438
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,829 bearers of the surname Jurgensen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15438th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jurgensen, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jurgensen
The surname Jurgensen originated in Denmark and is derived from the Danish personal name Jürgen, which is a variant of the German name Jörg, meaning "farmer" or "peasant." The name can be traced back to the 13th century in Denmark.
The earliest recorded mention of the Jurgensen surname dates back to 1409 in the Danish town of Roskilde, where a man named Jens Jurgensen was listed in city records. The name was initially spelled Jürgensen or Jørgensen, following the Danish spelling conventions of the time.
In the 16th century, the Jurgensen surname appeared in various historical records across Denmark, including tax rolls and church registers. Notable individuals with this surname during this period include Niels Jurgensen (1525-1598), a Danish clergyman and author who wrote several religious works.
As the Jurgensen family spread across Denmark and other parts of Scandinavia, variations in spelling emerged, such as Jørgensen, Jürgensen, and Jörgensen. Some branches of the family adopted the more Germanized spelling Jurgensen, particularly those who settled in regions with closer ties to Germany.
In the 17th century, a notable figure with the Jurgensen surname was Hans Jurgensen (1630-1704), a Danish merchant and shipowner who played a significant role in the development of the Danish East India Company.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, several Jurgensen family members gained prominence in various fields. Peter Jurgensen (1773-1846) was a Danish astronomer and mathematician who made significant contributions to celestial mechanics. Another notable figure was Urban Jurgensen (1776-1830), a Danish watchmaker and founder of the prestigious Urban Jurgensen & Sonner watch company, which produced high-quality timepieces for over a century.
In the 20th century, one of the most famous individuals with the Jurgensen surname was the Danish architect and designer Finn Juhl Jurgensen (1912-1989), whose innovative furniture designs helped define the Danish Modern style.
The Jurgensen surname has maintained a strong presence in Denmark and other Scandinavian countries, with many variations in spelling still in use today. While the name has spread to other parts of the world through immigration, its roots can be traced back to the Danish farming communities of the Middle Ages.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jurgensen
Among Census respondents with the surname Jurgensen, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Jurgensen 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 Jurgensen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.4% · 1,635
- Two or more races4.6% · 84
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 81
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 18
- Black or African American0.4% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jurgensen
Jurgensen 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
#14,739
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,016
+102 bearers (+5.3%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Down 390 places
2020
#15,438
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,829
-187 bearers (-9.3%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Down 699 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,349 | 1,914 | 0.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,739 | 2,016 | 0.68 | +102 bearers (+5.3%) | Down 390 places |
| 2020 | #15,438 | 1,829 | 0.61 | -187 bearers (-9.3%) | Down 699 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 Jurgensen 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 | #14,739 | #15,438 | -4.7% |
| Count | 2,016 | 1,829 | -9.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.68 | 0.61 | -10.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jurgensen bearers went from 2,016 to 1,829 (-9.3% change). The surname moved down 699 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,739 to #15,438.
FAQ
Jurgensen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jurgensen?
Name Census estimates that about 2,097 living Americans carry the surname Jurgensen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 163,450 residents.
How common is Jurgensen?
Jurgensen ranks #15,438 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,829 people with the surname Jurgensen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,097), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.61 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Jurgensen.
Has Jurgensen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jurgensen went from 2,016 recorded bearers to 1,829. That is a decrease of 187 (-9.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,739 to #15,438.
What does the Census say about the background of Jurgensen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jurgensen, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (4.4%). 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 Jurgensen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.4% (1,635 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jurgensen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.4%), Two or More Races (4.6%), Hispanic (4.4%). 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 Jurgensen (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 Jurgensen mean?
Son of Jürgen, a Germanic personal name derived from Georg, meaning "farmer" or "earth worker." 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 Jurgensen (0.61 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 are called Jurgensen?
Want to know how common the surname Jurgensen is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.