Jansen
A Dutch and Scandinavian patronymic meaning “son of Jan” or “son of Johan/John.”
The #2,189 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 18,604 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Jansen is a patronymic surname built from Jan, a vernacular form of John, plus a son-ending. In Dutch sources it is explained as “Jans zoon,” literally “Jan’s son”; related Scandinavian forms point to the same idea, from Johan/Jan. The core meaning is therefore “son of John.”
History
The name is especially common in the Netherlands and in the Scandinavian countries, where it appears alongside forms such as Jensen, Johansen, and Hansen. Historical surname dictionaries also note spelling and regional variants like Jansz, Janson, Jansson, and Jantzon. In English-language records it often marks families of Dutch, Danish, or broader North Sea origin.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
19th-century surname writers regularly grouped Jansen with the huge family of “John-son” surnames found all around northern Europe.
From the historical record
“JAGER ) O.H.Ger. •ya^^eW = Dut.}"a^er] JANSEN \ (Scand.) Jan's or Johan's Son JENSEN J = Johnson, q.v. in Diet. [Dan.- Norw. son, son] JOHANNESEN (Scand.) Johannes's Son 1 _ JOHANSEN (Scand.) Johan's Son J Johnson, q.v. in Diet. [Dan.-Norw.. jij«, son]”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)