|
![Show Contents]() Johnsen History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The name Johnsen arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The name Johnsen comes from the given name John and the name literally means "son of John." 1 The given name John is derived from the Hebrew name Johanan, which means Jehovah has favored. The name was extremely popular in the Middle Ages as a result of the numerous connections between the name John and the Christian Church. "With the exception of the south - western counties, where it is absent or conspicuously rare, this name is distributed all over England, but in much less numbers in the south than in the midlands and in the north. The counties most conspicuous for the number of Johnsons are Cambridge, Cheshire, Derby, Durham, Lancashire, Leicester and Rutland, Lincoln, Norfolk, Northumberland, Notts, Stafford, Warwick, and York." 2 Johnson is the 10th most popular surname in England and Wales. Early Origins of the Johnsen familyThe surname Johnsen was first found in Lincolnshire, where many of the ancient and leading houses of the family name claim descent originally from the house of FitzJohn in Normandy, particularly that of one of the leading branches and oldest, the Johnsons of Ayscough-Fee. 3 Later, the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 list many of the name: Willelmus Joneson; Willelmus Johnson, 1379; Robertus Johanson; Juliana Jonesson; Ricardus Joneson; and Robertas Jonson. 1 Early History of the Johnsen familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Johnsen research. Another 82 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1375, 1503, 1572, 1629, 1637, 1644, 1659, 1675, 1680, 1682, 1688, 1689, 1713, 1717, 1719, 1735, 1775, 1797 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Johnsen History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Johnsen Spelling VariationsEndless spelling variations are a prevailing characteristic of Norman surnames. Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules, and the introduction of Norman French added an unfamiliar ingredient to the English linguistic stew. French and Latin, the languages of the court, also influenced spellings. Finally, Medieval scribes generally spelled words according to how they sounded, so one person was often referred to by different spellings in different documents. The name has been spelled Johnson, Joneson, Jonson, Joynson and others. Early Notables of the Johnsen familyOutstanding amongst the family at this time was Benjamin Jonson (1572-1637), an English playwright, poet, actor, and literary critic; Daniel Johnson (1629-1675), an English buccaneer born in Bristol, who sailed against the Spanish during the late 17th century becoming known among the Spanish as "Johnson the Terror"; Sir Nathaniel Johnson (1644-1713), an English soldier and a Member of Parliament for Newcastle-upon-Tyne (1680-1689); Sir Henry Johnson...
Another 64 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Johnsen Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Johnsen RankingIn the United States, the name Johnsen is the 5,989th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 4  Migration of the Johnsen family to Ireland
Some of the Johnsen family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 76 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
| Johnsen migration to the United States | + |
To escape the political and religious persecution within England at the time, many English families left for the various British colonies abroad. The voyage was extremely difficult, though, and the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving. But for those who made it, the trip was most often worth it. Many of the families who arrived went on to make valuable contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families reveals a number of immigrants bearing the name Johnsen or a variant listed above:
Johnsen Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- Iver N Johnsen, who arrived in Iowa in 1879 5
- A.W. Johnsen, aged 33, who settled in America from Sweden, in 1892
- Agathe Johnsen, aged 4, who immigrated to the United States from Norway, in 1892
- Agnes Johnsen, aged 11, who landed in America from Norway, in 1892
- Alma Johnsen, aged 9, who immigrated to the United States, in 1892
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Johnsen Settlers in United States in the 20th Century- Kristian Johnsen, who landed in Mississippi in 1904 5
| Johnsen 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: Johnsen Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century- Viggott Johnsen, aged 32, a labourer, who arrived in Hawkes Bay aboard the ship "Queen of the North" in 1874
| Contemporary Notables of the name Johnsen (post 1700) | + |
- Dawn Johnsen, American lawyer
- Britton Johnsen (b. 1979), American professional basketball player
- Albert W. J. Johnsen, American Republican politician, Candidate in primary for U.S. Representative from Illinois 10th District, 1918 6
- Captain Olans Charles William Johnsen DFC (b. 1889), English World War I flying ace credited with five aerial victories
- Árni Johnsen (1944-2023), Icelandic journalist, politician, musician and athlete from Vestmannaeyjar
- Robert Jacob Johnsen (1896-1975), Danish gold medalist gymnast at the 1920 Summer Olympics
- Erik Johnsen (b. 1965), Norwegian Ski jumper
- Bjarne Johnsen (1892-1984), Norwegian gold medalist gymnast at the 1912 Summer Olympics
- Arve Johnsen (b. 1934), Norwegian industrial executive and politician
- Arne Odd Johnsen (1909-1985), Norwegian medieval and economic historian
| Historic Events for the Johnsen family | + |
Flight TWA 800 - Ms. Arlene E. Johnsen (1936-1996), from Grand Junction, Colorado, USA, American TWA crew member flying aboard flight TWA 800 from J.F.K. Airport, New York to Leonardo da Vinci Airport, Rome when the plane crashed after takeoff ; she died in the crash 7
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
- Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
- Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
- "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
- 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)
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 13) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
- The Washington Post Passenger List TWA Flight 800. (Retrieved 2018, February 15th). Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/twa800/list01.htm
|
Johnsen migration to the United States 
Johnsen migration to New Zealand 
Denmark
England
Ireland
