NameCensus.

UK surname

Jansen

A patronymic surname of Dutch origin meaning "son of Jan" (a diminutive of Johannes) or "son of John."

In the 1881 census there were 139 people recorded with the Jansen surname, ranking it #16,228 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 827, ranked #6,723, up from #16,228 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to St George in the East, Burton-on-Trent and St Leonard Shoreditch. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Hart, Black Isle South and Kensington and Chelsea.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Jansen is 864 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 495.0%.

1881 census count

139

Ranked #16,228

Modern count

827

2016, ranked #6,723

Peak year

2010

864 bearers

Map years

7

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Jansen had 139 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #16,228 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 827 in 2016, ranked #6,723.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 223 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Diverse Educated Urban Singles.

Jansen surname distribution map

The map shows where the Jansen surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Jansen surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Jansen over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 21 #29,550
1861 historical 21 #31,242
1881 historical 139 #16,228
1891 historical 111 #22,421
1901 historical 223 #14,134
1911 historical 185 #15,686
1997 modern 564 #8,501
1998 modern 627 #8,132
1999 modern 654 #7,914
2000 modern 641 #8,015
2001 modern 646 #7,837
2002 modern 689 #7,605
2003 modern 679 #7,576
2004 modern 680 #7,575
2005 modern 707 #7,271
2006 modern 720 #7,201
2007 modern 741 #7,122
2008 modern 769 #6,964
2009 modern 812 #6,801
2010 modern 864 #6,610
2011 modern 860 #6,554
2012 modern 812 #6,758
2013 modern 829 #6,754
2014 modern 841 #6,714
2015 modern 828 #6,735
2016 modern 827 #6,723

Geography

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Where Jansens are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around St George in the East, Burton-on-Trent, St Leonard Shoreditch, London parishes and Edinburgh. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Hart, Black Isle South, Kensington and Chelsea, Carlisle and Hounslow. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 St George in the East London (East Districts)
2 Burton-on-Trent Staffordshire
3 St Leonard Shoreditch London (East Districts)
4 London parishes London 3
5 Edinburgh Edinburgh

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Hart 001 Hart
2 Black Isle South Highland
3 Kensington and Chelsea 012 Kensington and Chelsea
4 Carlisle 007 Carlisle
5 Hounslow 024 Hounslow

Forenames

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First names often paired with Jansen

These lists show first names that appear often with the Jansen surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Jansen

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Jansen, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Multicultural and Educated Urbanites

Group

Diverse Educated Urban Singles

Nationally, the Jansen surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Diverse Educated Urban Singles, within Multicultural and Educated Urbanites. This does not mean every Jansen household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group includes many never-married individuals not living with dependent children. Many were born in EU countries and are now aged between 25-44. This Group is characterised by its ethnic group diversity, although those identifying as Asian are not well represented. Affiliation with the Christian religion amongst residents is low. Reported disability rates are low. Neighbourhoods include some central locations in London and other major cities. Private renting is the norm, and there is some overcrowding. Many individuals are educated to degree level, and full-time employment is common, particularly in managerial and professional occupations.

Wider pattern

Established populations comprising ethnic minorities together with persons born outside the UK predominate in this Supergroup. Residents present diverse personal characteristics and circumstances: while generally well-educated and practising skilled occupations, some residents live in overcrowded rental sector housing. English may not be the main language used by people in this Group. Although the typical adult resident is middle aged, single person households are common and marriage rates are low by national standards. This Supergroup predominates in Inner London, with smaller enclaves in many other densely populated metropolitan areas.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Jansen is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Jansen is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Jansen falls in decile 6 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Jansen is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - Other

This describes the area pattern most associated with Jansen, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Jansen

The surname Jansen is of Dutch origin, derived from the patronymic "Jan's son" or "son of Jan". It is a common surname in the Netherlands and parts of Belgium, with roots dating back to the medieval period.

Jansen is believed to have emerged as a surname in the 13th or 14th century, as the practice of adopting hereditary surnames became more widespread in the Low Countries. The name likely originated from the popular Dutch given name Jan, a variant of the biblical name John.

One of the earliest known references to the name Jansen can be found in the records of the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands, where a Gerrit Jansen was mentioned in a document dated 1359. Other early examples include Pieter Jansen, recorded in Amsterdam in 1424, and Cornelis Jansen, a Catholic theologian born in 1585 in the village of Accoy.

In the 16th century, the Jansen surname appeared in various historical records and manuscripts, such as the parish registers of the Dutch Reformed Church. During this period, the name was often spelled with variations like Jansz, Janssen, or Janssens.

Notable individuals with the surname Jansen throughout history include:

1. Cornelis Jansen (1585-1638), a Dutch Catholic bishop and theologian who founded the religious movement known as Jansenism. 2. Zacharias Jansen (1588-1638), a Dutch inventor and spectacle-maker, credited with the invention of the first compound microscope. 3. Vincent Jansen (1590-1642), a Dutch Golden Age painter known for his still-life works. 4. Pieter Jansen Saenredam (1597-1665), a Dutch Golden Age painter renowned for his architectural paintings of church interiors. 5. Justus Jansen (1743-1835), a Dutch-American farmer and soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War.

Many place names in the Netherlands and Belgium have been influenced by the Jansen surname, such as Janskerkhof (literally "Jan's churchyard") in Utrecht and Jansenville, a town in South Africa founded by Dutch settlers with the Jansen surname.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Jansen families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Jansen surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Middlesex leads with 51 Jansens recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.71x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 51 3.71x
Lancashire 20 1.23x
Midlothian 13 7.06x
Durham 11 2.69x
Essex 7 2.58x
Lanarkshire 5 1.12x
Selkirkshire 5 40.19x
Somerset 5 2.26x
Surrey 5 0.75x
Yorkshire 4 0.29x
Gloucestershire 3 1.11x
Fife 2 2.46x
Northumberland 2 0.98x
Royal Navy 2 12.20x
Cheshire 1 0.33x
Cornwall 1 0.64x
Glamorgan 1 0.42x
Kent 1 0.21x
Lincolnshire 1 0.45x
Worcestershire 1 0.56x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Shoreditch London in Middlesex leads with 19 Jansens recorded in 1881 and an index of 31.87x.

Place Total Index
Shoreditch London 19 31.87x
Leith North 13 3714.29x
St George In East London 7 54.10x
Stockton On Tees 7 35.50x
Liverpool 6 6.05x
Bethnal Green London 5 8.37x
Bow London 5 28.56x
Everton 5 9.61x
Selkirk 5 142.45x
Cheetham 4 32.87x
Darlington 4 25.32x
Hackney London 4 5.19x
West Ham 4 6.67x
Ashwick 3 833.33x
Bermondsey 3 7.33x
Govan 3 2.73x
Harwich St Nicholas 3 142.86x
Manchester 3 4.09x
St Pancras London 3 2.71x
Barony 2 1.78x
Islington London 2 1.50x
Kensington London 2 2.62x
Kingstonupon Hull 2 183.49x
Rotherhithe 2 11.77x
Barrow In Furness 1 4.50x
Berkeley 1 66.67x
Berwick Upon Tweed 1 23.04x
Bristol St Stephen 1 142.86x
Bury 1 5.36x
Cardiff St Mary 1 7.58x
Clerkenwell London 1 3.08x
Dover St Mary Virgin 1 22.03x
Dunfermline 1 7.99x
Falsgrave 1 49.75x
Gloucester St John Baptist 1 57.47x
Great Grimsby 1 7.16x
Inverkeithing 1 81.30x
Mevagissey 1 97.09x
Middlesbrough 1 5.63x
North Shields 1 24.51x
Powick 1 80.65x
St George Hanover Square 1 4.13x
St Martin In Fields 1 12.15x
Taunton St Mary 1 24.63x
Wallasey 1 97.09x
Westminster St James 1 7.07x
Weston 1 58.82x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Jansen surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Elizabeth 4
Maria 4
Mary 4
Margaret 3
Agnes 2
Alice 2
Annie 2
Emily 2
Jane 2
Louisa 2
Marie 2
Sarah 2
Amy 1
Ann 1
Anna 1
Annah 1
Anne 1
Caroline 1
Delean 1
Edith 1
Emma 1
Hannah 1
Harrieet 1
Harriet 1
Hellena 1
Josephine 1
Lilian 1
Maren 1
Sophia 1
Teresa 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Jansen surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 6
James 5
George 4
Henry 3
Johann 3
William 3
Charles 2
Johan 2
Thomas 2
A. 1
Adolf 1
Albert 1
Alfred 1
Andreas 1
Benjamin 1
Chasley 1
Christian 1
Conston 1
Edward 1
Frank 1
Frederick 1
Fredrick 1
H. 1
Henri 1
J. 1
Jacob 1
Jan 1
Jins 1
Jokopv 1
Jorgin 1
Julian 1
Karl 1
Laurence 1
Ludwig 1
Marius 1
Myles 1
Pieter 1
Richard 1
Robert 1
Samuel 1
Soren 1
Theodore 1
Ulik 1
Walter 1

FAQ

Jansen surname: questions and answers

How common was the Jansen surname in 1881?

In 1881, 139 people were recorded with the Jansen surname. That placed it at #16,228 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Jansen surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 827 in 2016. That gives Jansen a modern rank of #6,723.

What does the Jansen surname mean?

A patronymic surname of Dutch origin meaning "son of Jan" (a diminutive of Johannes) or "son of John."

What does the Jansen map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Jansen bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.