2000
#244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112,332
First available Census row
Per 100,000 41.64
Common Last name
Jensen
A patronymic surname of Scandinavian origin meaning "son of Jens," a variant of John.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131,087 Americans carry the last name Jensen. That puts it at #268 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 38.25 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,615 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jensen 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Jensen with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
131K
1 in 2,615
Census rank
#268
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
38.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114,314 bearers of the surname Jensen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 38.25 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 268th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jensen, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jensen
The surname Jensen is of Scandinavian origin, primarily found in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It is a patronymic surname, derived from the personal name Jens, which is a Danish and Norwegian form of the biblical name Johannes, meaning "God is gracious."
The earliest known records of the Jensen surname can be traced back to the 13th century in Denmark. It is believed to have emerged as a way to distinguish individuals by their father's name, as was common practice in Scandinavian countries at the time. The suffix "-sen" or "-son" was added to the father's given name to create the patronymic surname.
One of the earliest documented instances of the Jensen surname is found in the Danish Census Book of 1645, which lists several individuals with this name living in various regions of Denmark. One notable early bearer of the Jensen surname was Peder Jensen Resen (1625-1688), a Danish historian and theologian who authored a influential work on Danish history titled "Fuldstændig Dansk Atlas" (Complete Danish Atlas).
In Norway, the Jensen surname can be traced back to the 16th century, with records showing individuals bearing this name in various coastal regions. One famous Norwegian Jensen was the explorer and whaler Svend Foyn Jensen (1809-1894), who is credited with pioneering modern whaling techniques and establishing the first successful whaling station in Antarctica.
Sweden also has a significant population of individuals with the Jensen surname, although its origins in that country are slightly later, dating back to the 17th century. One notable Swedish Jensen was the explorer and cartographer Jöns Jensson Holm (1628-1696), who was instrumental in mapping the Swedish territory of Ingria, located in present-day northwestern Russia.
Other notable individuals with the Jensen surname include:
1. Georg Jensen (1866-1935), a renowned Danish silversmith and sculptor, known for founding the eponymous luxury design company.
2. Johannes V. Jensen (1873-1950), a Danish novelist and essayist who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1944.
3. Viggo Jensen (1874-1923), a Danish painter and artist known for his landscapes and portraits.
4. Alfred Jensen (1903-1981), an American abstract expressionist painter of Danish descent.
5. Niels Kaj Jerne (1911-1994), a Danish immunologist who received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1984 for his work on antibody formation.
Over time, the Jensen surname has spread beyond Scandinavia and can now be found in various parts of the world, particularly in regions with significant Danish, Norwegian, or Swedish immigrant populations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jensen
Among Census respondents with the surname Jensen, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Jensen 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 Jensen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.0% · 104,014
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 4,402
- Two or more races3.0% · 3,420
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 994
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 877
- Black or African American0.5% · 607
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jensen
Jensen appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#265
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115,679
+3,347 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 39.22
Rank movement Down 21 places
2020
#268
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114,314
-1,365 bearers (-1.2%)
Per 100,000 38.25
Rank movement Down 3 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #244 | 112,332 | 41.64 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #265 | 115,679 | 39.22 | +3,347 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 21 places |
| 2020 | #268 | 114,314 | 38.25 | -1,365 bearers (-1.2%) | Down 3 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 Jensen 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 | #265 | #268 | -1.1% |
| Count | 115,679 | 114,314 | -1.2% |
| Per 100K | 39.22 | 38.25 | -2.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jensen bearers went from 115,679 to 114,314 (-1.2% change). The surname moved down 3 positions in the national ranking, going from #265 to #268.
FAQ
Jensen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jensen?
Name Census estimates that about 131,087 living Americans carry the surname Jensen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,615 residents.
How common is Jensen?
Jensen ranks #268 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 38.25 per 100,000 residents, which is about 38 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 114,314 people with the surname Jensen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131,087), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 38.25 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 38.25 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 38 of them to have the surname Jensen.
Has Jensen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jensen went from 115,679 recorded bearers to 114,314. That is a decrease of 1,365 (-1.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #265 to #268.
What does the Census say about the background of Jensen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jensen, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Jensen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (104,014 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jensen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.0%), Hispanic (3.9%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Jensen (2000, 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 Jensen mean?
A patronymic surname of Scandinavian origin meaning "son of Jens," a variant of 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 Jensen (38.25 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 are called Jensen?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Jensen, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.