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Jansen History Early Origins Spelling Variations World Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Jansen History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Denmark
England
Germany
Scotland

This Danish and Norwegian name is derived from Jan's or Johan's son and in many cases is the equivalent of Johnson. 1

The Jensen variant is the second most common surname in Denmark. All these names are derived from the Hebrew name Yochanan, which literally means "Jehovah has favored," which was Latinized as Johannes, gained tremendous popularity during the medieval era. This is due to the exploits of St. John the Baptist, St. John the Evangelist, and nearly one thousand other saints of the same name. The suffix -son and its variants are translatable as 'son of.'

Early Origins of the Jansen family

The surname Jansen was first found in many places throughout ancient Denmark due to the popularity of the name "John," initially as a forename, but later as a surname with the typical "sen" or "son" suffix. The name is fairly popular in the Faroe Islands, about two hundred miles north-northwest of Scotland, midway between Norway and Iceland.

Jansen Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Jahn, Johansen, Johannsen, Johannesen, Jonsen, Johnsen, Jensen, Joensen, Jansen, Jahnsen, Jantzen, Johanson, Johansson, Johanesson, Johannsson, Johannesson, Jonsson, Johnsson, Jönsson and many more.

Jansen World Ranking

In the United States, the name Jansen is the 2,445^th most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 2 However, in France, the name Jansen is ranked the 6,301^st most popular surname with an estimated 1,000 - 1,500 people with that name. 3 And in Australia, the name Jansen is the 836^th popular surname with an estimated 4,708 people with that name. 4 New Zealand ranks Jansen as 824^th with 887 people. 5 Netherlands ranks Jansen as 2^nd with 83,120 people. 6 South Africa ranks Jansen as 132^nd with 43,478 people. 7

Jansen migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Jansen Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Lorenz Jansen, who landed in New Netherland(s) in 1605 8
Michael Jansen, who arrived in New Netherland(s) in 1609-1664 8
Roeloff Jansen, who arrived in New Netherland(s) in 1630 8
Gerhart Jansen, who landed in New Netherland(s) in 1632 8
Lyntje Jansen, aged 26, who arrived in New York in 1633 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Jansen Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Conrad Jansen, who settled in Germantown, Pennsylvania in 1709
Wilhelm Jansen, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1796
Johann Arnold Jansen, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1796 8
Wilhelm Jansen, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1796 8

Jansen Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Julian Jansen, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1806 8
Christ Jansen, who landed in North America in 1832-1849 8
Bernard Jansen, aged 32, who landed in Missouri in 1846 8
Bernh Matthias Jos Jansen, who arrived in America in 1847 8
Daniel Jansen, aged 38, who arrived in New York, NY in 1847 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Jansen migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Jansen Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Abraham Jansen, who landed in Manitoba in 1879

Jansen migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Jansen Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. William Jansen, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Flying Mist" arriving in Bluff, South Island, New Zealand on 25th August 1862, the boat sank whilst waiting in port. 9

Contemporary Notables of the name Jansen (post 1700) +

Dan Jansen (b. 1965), American speed skater who won a gold medal at the 1994 Winter Olympics
Rudolf Jansen (1940-2024), Dutch pianist known for chamber music
Ernst Nicolaas Herman Jansen (1945-2023), Dutch neurologist, later known as Ernst Jansen Steur
Per Johan Jansen (1941-2022), Norwegian stage and film actor
Wilhelmus Marinus Antonius "Wim" Jansen (1946-2022), Dutch professional football player and manager from Rotterdam, Netherlands
Birger Jansen (1948-2016), Norwegian ice hockey player at the Winter Olympics in Sapporo in 1972
Johannes "Hans" J. G. Jansen (1942-2015), Dutch politician, Member of the European Parliament (2014-2015)
Ernest George Jansen (1881-1959), British administrator in South Africa, served as the governor-general of the Union of South Africa between 1951 and 1959
Johannes Henricus Gerardus Jansen (1868-1936), Dutch, a former archbishop of Uthrect and Roman Catholic Primate of the Netherlands
Floor Jansen (b. 1981), Dutch singer
... (Another 5 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in Netherlands." Forebears, https://forebears.io/netherlands/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in South Africa." Forebears, https://forebears.io/south-africa/surnames
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html