Contents [hide]

Janson History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Janson History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany
Scotland

One of the most common classes of Scottish surnames is the patronymic surname, which arose out of the vernacular and religious naming traditions. The vernacular or regional naming tradition is the oldest and most pervasive type of patronymic surname. According to this custom, names were originally composed of vocabulary elements from the local language. Patronymic surnames of this type were usually derived from the personal name of the original bearer's father. The surname Janson is derived from the ancient Scottish given name Ian which itself comes from the Hebrew given name Yocjanan, which means Jehovah has favored me with a son. 1

Early Origins of the Janson family

The surname Janson was first found in Westmorland, where they held a family seat from very early times and were granted lands by Duke William of Normandy, their liege Lord, for their distinguished assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Janson family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Janson research. Another 88 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1590, 1617, 1648, 1665, 1684 and 1707 are included under the topic Early Janson History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Janson Spelling Variations

Scottish surnames are distinguished by a multitude of spelling variations because, over the centuries, the names were frequently translated into and from Gaelic. Furthermore, the spelling of surnames was rarely consistent because medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules. The different versions of a surname, such as the inclusion of the patronymic prefix "Mac", frequently indicated a religious or Clan affiliation or even a division of the family. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into Scotland, accelerating accentuating the alterations to various surnames. The name Janson has also been spelled Ianson, I'Anson, Janson and others.

Early Notables of the Janson family

Notable among the family at this time was John Ianson of Corfe Castle; and the I'Anson Baronetcy of Bassetbury which included: Sir Bryan I'Anson, 1st Baronet (c.1590-1665), Gentleman...
Another 28 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Janson Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Janson Ranking

In the United States, the name Janson is the 8,726^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2 However, in France, the name Janson is ranked the 6,850^th most popular surname with an estimated 1,000 - 1,500 people with that name. 3

Janson migration to the United States +

Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Janson, or a variant listed above:

Janson Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Jacob Janson, who arrived in Maryland in 1665 4
Lambert Janson, who landed in Maryland in 1667 4

Janson Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Bernhart Janson, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1742 4
Christoph Janson, who landed in Massachusetts in 1753 4
Georg Wilhelm Janson, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1763 4
Georg Wilhelm Janson, who landed in Philadelphia in 1763

Janson Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Anna C Janson, aged 14, who landed in New Bedford, Massachusetts in 1831 4
George Janson, aged 32, who landed in Missouri in 1841 4
George Janson, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1848
William Janson, who arrived in St Clair County, Illinois in 1860 4
Johann Janson, who arrived in America in 1872 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Janson migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Janson Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Johan Janson, who landed in Manitoba in 1874
Peter Janson, who arrived in Manitoba in 1875

Janson migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Janson Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss Bella Janson, (Isabella), (b. 1785), aged 27, English house keeper who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 14 years for larceny, transported aboard the "Emu" in October 1812, the ship was captured and the passengers put ashore, the convicts were then transported aboard the "Broxburnebury" in January 1812 arriving in New South Wales, Australia 5

Janson 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:

Janson Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Joseph Janson, (b. 1838), aged 26, English carpenter from Yorkshire travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "William Miles" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 22nd October 1864 6
Mrs. Louisa Janson, (b. 1839), aged 25, English settler from Yorkshire travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "William Miles" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 22nd October 1864 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Janson (post 1700) +

Klaus Janson (b. 1952), American comic book artist, he was born in Germany but emigrated to the United States in 1957, well known for his work with Marvel Comics and DC Comics, most notably he has worked on 'Daredevil' and 'Batman', now a teacher at the School of Visual Arts in New York City
Sergeant Major Ernest A. Janson (1878-1930), United States Marine awarded the Medal of Honor
H W Janson (1913-1982), American art historian
Marc Janson (1930-2022), Belgian-born French surrealist painter
Anton Janson (1620-1687), Dutch printer and typographer after whom the font "Janson" is named
Paul Janson (1840-1913), Belgian liberal politician
Oscar Janson (b. 1975), Swedish athlete
David Janson (b. 1950), English actor and father of Ciara Janson
Ciara Janson (b. 1987), English actress
Janson Randall Junk (b. 1996), American professional baseball pitcher

Citations +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. 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/
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/Emu
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html