2010
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Yansen
A Dutch surname derived from the personal name Jan, equivalent to the English John.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Yansen. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Yansen 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Yansen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Yansen, the largest self-reported group is Black at 68.8%. The next largest groups are White (21.4%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Yansen
The surname Yansen is of Dutch origin, stemming from the Netherlands. It dates back to the medieval period, roughly around the 14th century. The name itself is a patronymic surname, which means it is derived from the first name of an ancestor. In this case, Yansen means "son of Jan." Jan is a common Dutch first name, equivalent to John in English, with its origins in the Hebrew name Yochanan, meaning "God is gracious."
The areas where the name Yansen originally appeared are primarily in the provinces of North Holland and South Holland, known for their dense population and historical significance. The Dutch were keen record-keepers, and this surname started to manifest in parish records, tax documents, and early civic registries. Variations of the spelling include Jansen, Janssen, and Jansz, reflecting slight regional linguistic differences over time.
One of the earliest references to the surname Yansen can be traced back to the 1420s in records of Amsterdam, a burgeoning mercantile hub at the time. Manuscripts and legal documents often listed Yansen among other notable family names, indicating that bearers of the name were involved in commerce and are possibly members of the burgeoning bourgeois class.
The name appears frequently in historical records, such as the famous tax registers known as the "Kohier," or "tijdschriften" for archives related to charters. One of the earliest documented individuals with this surname is Willem Yansen, a merchant from Haarlem who lived around 1450-1510.
A notable historical figure is Abel Janszoon Tasman, bearing a surname derivative of Jan. While not exactly Yansen, Tasman's exploration tied Dutch patronymic traditions with navigational history. He lived from 1603-1659 and is celebrated for his discoveries in the Pacific, including Tasmania and New Zealand.
In the 17th century, Jonas Yansen van Nostrand, another bearer of the name, emigrated to the burgeoning Dutch colony of New Netherland, specifically in what is now Brooklyn, New York. He lived from 1622-1698 and was instrumental in establishing early Dutch-American communities.
Arne Yansen, a lesser-known but equally significant historical figure, was a recorder in Rotterdam during the early 1700s, contributing to the local governance and administration.
Finally, focussing more broadly on notable individuals, the 19th century saw figures like Hendrik Yansen, a prominent figure in the Dutch East India Company, evidence of the name's association with trade and exploration. His life spanned from 1802-1878, marking an era of colonial expansion and economic growth.
Through these historical touchpoints, the surname Yansen not only signifies a familial link to an ancestor named Jan but also showcases a rich tapestry of social, economic, and exploratory achievements within Dutch history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Yansen
Among Census respondents with the surname Yansen, the largest self-reported group is Black at 68.8%. The next largest groups are White (21.4%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Yansen 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 Yansen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American68.8% · 77
- White21.4% · 24
- Two or more races5.4% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Yansen
Yansen appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,753 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 1,753 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 Yansen 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 | #146,201 | #147,954 | -1.2% |
| Count | 113 | 112 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Yansen bearers went from 113 to 112 (-0.9% change). The surname moved down 1,753 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #147,954.
FAQ
Yansen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Yansen?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Yansen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Yansen?
Yansen ranks #147,954 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 112 people with the surname Yansen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Yansen.
Has Yansen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Yansen went from 113 recorded bearers to 112. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Yansen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Yansen, the largest self-reported group is Black at 68.8%. The next largest groups are White (21.4%) and Two or More Races (5.4%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Yansen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.8% (77 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Yansen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (68.8%), White (21.4%), Two or More Races (5.4%). 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 Yansen (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 Yansen mean?
A Dutch surname derived from the personal name Jan, equivalent to the English John. 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 Yansen (0.04 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 share the surname Yansen?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.