2000
#4,439
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,381
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.74
Rare Last name
Johnsen
A patronymic surname meaning "son of John."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,885 Americans carry the last name Johnsen. That puts it at #4,441 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.59 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 38,577 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Johnsen 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 Johnsen with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.9K
1 in 38,577
Census rank
#4,441
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,748 bearers of the surname Johnsen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.59 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4441st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Johnsen, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Black (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Johnsen
The surname Johnsen is of Scandinavian origin, primarily from Norway and Denmark. It is a patronymic name, derived from the given name John, which itself is an English form of the Hebrew name Yohanan, meaning "Yahweh is gracious."
The earliest recorded instances of the name Johnsen can be traced back to the 13th century in Norway. It was a common practice in Scandinavia at the time to form surnames by adding the suffix "-sen" or "-son" to the father's given name, creating patronymic surnames like Johnsen, which literally means "son of John."
One of the earliest documented individuals with the surname Johnsen was Erling Johnsen, a Norwegian nobleman who lived in the late 13th century. He was mentioned in several historical records from that period, including the Icelandic Sagas.
In the 16th century, a notable figure with the surname Johnsen was Hans Johnsen, a Danish explorer and navigator who participated in several expeditions to Greenland and the Arctic regions. He was born in Copenhagen in 1530 and died around 1595.
Another prominent individual with this surname was Jens Johnsen, a Norwegian composer and organist who lived from 1724 to 1785. He is known for his contributions to the development of Norwegian church music during the 18th century.
In the 19th century, one of the most influential figures with the surname Johnsen was Henrik Ibsen, the renowned Norwegian playwright and poet. Although his surname was originally spelled Ibsen, it is believed to have derived from the patronymic Johnsen. Ibsen was born in 1828 and died in 1906, leaving a lasting impact on modern drama with his works such as "A Doll's House" and "Peer Gynt."
Another notable individual with the surname Johnsen was Eivind Johnsen, a Norwegian painter and artist who lived from 1841 to 1923. He is considered one of the pioneers of Norwegian landscape painting and is renowned for his depictions of Norwegian nature and rural life.
The surname Johnsen has also been found in historical records and documents from other Scandinavian countries, such as Sweden and Iceland, indicating its widespread use throughout the region. It is a name deeply rooted in Scandinavian history and culture, reflecting the region's rich heritage and tradition of patronymic naming practices.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Johnsen
Among Census respondents with the surname Johnsen, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Black (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Johnsen 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 Johnsen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.6% · 6,865
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 271
- Black or African American3.4% · 263
- Two or more races2.8% · 214
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 97
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 38
Timeline
Historical Census data for Johnsen
Johnsen 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
#4,528
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,831
+450 bearers (+6.1%)
Per 100,000 2.65
Rank movement Down 89 places
2020
#4,441
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,748
-83 bearers (-1.1%)
Per 100,000 2.59
Rank movement Up 87 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,439 | 7,381 | 2.74 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,528 | 7,831 | 2.65 | +450 bearers (+6.1%) | Down 89 places |
| 2020 | #4,441 | 7,748 | 2.59 | -83 bearers (-1.1%) | Up 87 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 Johnsen 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 | #4,528 | #4,441 | 1.9% |
| Count | 7,831 | 7,748 | -1.1% |
| Per 100K | 2.65 | 2.59 | -2.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Johnsen bearers went from 7,831 to 7,748 (-1.1% change). The surname moved up 87 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,528 to #4,441.
FAQ
Johnsen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Johnsen?
Name Census estimates that about 8,885 living Americans carry the surname Johnsen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 38,577 residents.
How common is Johnsen?
Johnsen ranks #4,441 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.59 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,748 people with the surname Johnsen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,885), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.59 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.59 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Johnsen.
Has Johnsen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Johnsen went from 7,831 recorded bearers to 7,748. That is a decrease of 83 (-1.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,528 to #4,441.
What does the Census say about the background of Johnsen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Johnsen, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Black (3.4%). 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 Johnsen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.6% (6,865 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Johnsen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.6%), Hispanic (3.5%), Black (3.4%). 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 Johnsen (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 Johnsen mean?
A patronymic surname meaning "son 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 Johnsen (2.59 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 common is the surname Johnsen?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Johnsen on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.