NameCensus.

UK surname

Janson

Derived from the Hebrew name "John," meaning "God is gracious," or from the name "Jan," a Scandinavian form of John.

In the 1881 census there were 554 people recorded with the Janson surname, ranking it #6,228 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 268, ranked #16,003, down from #6,228 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Darlington and Warsill, Ripon (Newby-with-Mulwith, Ripon). In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include New Forest, Hammersmith and Fulham and County Durham.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Janson is 691 in 1891. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 51.6%.

1881 census count

554

Ranked #6,228

Modern count

268

2016, ranked #16,003

Peak year

1891

691 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Janson had 554 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #6,228 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 268 in 2016, ranked #16,003.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 691 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Diverse Educated Urban Singles.

Janson surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Janson surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Janson 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 506 #4,943
1861 historical 597 #4,436
1881 historical 554 #6,228
1891 historical 691 #5,669
1901 historical 675 #6,456
1911 historical 647 #6,468
1997 modern 227 #16,267
1998 modern 247 #15,813
1999 modern 236 #16,404
2000 modern 241 #16,146
2001 modern 240 #15,912
2002 modern 245 #16,041
2003 modern 230 #16,549
2004 modern 226 #16,829
2005 modern 227 #16,730
2006 modern 225 #16,941
2007 modern 240 #16,392
2008 modern 244 #16,346
2009 modern 253 #16,283
2010 modern 248 #16,886
2011 modern 244 #16,922
2012 modern 237 #17,132
2013 modern 247 #16,935
2014 modern 257 #16,598
2015 modern 256 #16,524
2016 modern 268 #16,003

Geography

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Where Jansons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Darlington, Warsill, Ripon (Newby-with-Mulwith, Ripon), St John Hackney and Preston. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to New Forest, Hammersmith and Fulham, County Durham, Croydon and Kensington and Chelsea. 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 London parishes London 1
2 Darlington Durham
3 Warsill, Ripon (Newby-with-Mulwith, Ripon) Yorkshire, West Riding
4 St John Hackney London (North Districts)
5 Preston Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 New Forest 011 New Forest
2 Hammersmith and Fulham 012 Hammersmith and Fulham
3 County Durham 006 County Durham
4 Croydon 037 Croydon
5 Kensington and Chelsea 010 Kensington and Chelsea

Forenames

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First names often paired with Janson

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Janson

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Janson, 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 Janson surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Diverse Educated Urban Singles, within Multicultural and Educated Urbanites. This does not mean every Janson 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

Central Connected Professionals and Managers

Group

Senior Professionals

Within London, Janson is most associated with areas classed as Senior Professionals, part of Central Connected Professionals and Managers. 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

These very central neighbourhoods house residents whose ages are more skewed towards older age cohorts than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Few households have young children. Rates of illness are low. Indian ethnicity is rare compared to the Supergroup mean. Property under occupation is more common, despite the centrality of neighbourhoods, and more residents live in communal establishments than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

Adult residents of these neighbourhoods are typically aged 25 to 44, working full-time in professional, managerial or associate professional occupations. There are few families with dependent children. The predominantly Inner London neighbourhoods have an international character, including many residents born elsewhere in Europe alongside high numbers of individuals identifying as of Chinese ethnicity. Many individuals are never married, childless and/or living alone. Above average numbers of individuals, likely to be full-time students, live in communal establishments. Elsewhere, privately rented flats are the dominant housing type. Residents of these areas are well-qualified, with a significant number holding Level 4 or above qualifications. There is a correspondingly high level of individuals employed full-time in professional, managerial and associated professional or technical occupations. Employing industries are financial, real estate, professional, administration, and, to a lesser degree, transport and communications. Unemployment is uncommon.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Janson 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

Janson falls in decile 9 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

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

9
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Janson 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 - British

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

Meaning and origin of Janson

The surname Janson is of Scandinavian origin, specifically from Sweden and Norway. It is derived from the personal name Johannes, which is the Scandinavian form of the Hebrew name John. The suffix "son" was commonly added to Scandinavian names to indicate the son of the person with that name.

During the Middle Ages, the name Janson was primarily found in regions of Sweden and Norway. It is believed to have originated as early as the 11th or 12th century when the use of hereditary surnames became more widespread in Scandinavia. The oldest known record of the name Janson dates back to a document from the year 1304, which mentions a man named Petrus Janson living in Dalarna, Sweden.

In the 14th century, the name Janson appeared in several medieval records and manuscripts in Sweden and Norway. One notable example is the Icelandic Landnámabók, which mentions a man named Thorbjorn Janson who settled in Iceland during the Viking Age.

The earliest recorded examples of the name Janson can be traced back to the 15th century. In 1487, a man named Hans Janson was listed as a resident of Gothenburg, Sweden. Another early record from 1523 mentions a farmer named Olof Janson living in Småland, Sweden.

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname Janson. One of the most famous was the Swedish painter and engraver Cornelis Janson van Ceulen (1593-1664), who was known for his portraits and religious works. Another notable figure was the Swedish botanist and physician Nils Janson (1734-1789), who made significant contributions to the study of plant taxonomy.

Other prominent individuals with the surname Janson include:

1. Kristofer Janson (1841-1917), a Swedish painter and illustrator known for his depictions of rural life. 2. Eugene Jansson (1862-1915), a Swedish-American author and journalist who wrote extensively about the immigrant experience in the United States. 3. Hildur Janson (1887-1976), a Swedish artist and textile designer who played a significant role in the Swedish Arts and Crafts movement. 4. Sven Janson (1917-2003), a Swedish mathematician known for his work in combinatorics and graph theory. 5. Gunnar Janson (born 1938), a Swedish mathematician and professor emeritus at Uppsala University, who has made significant contributions to the field of probability theory.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Janson families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Janson 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. Yorkshire leads with 153 Jansons recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.24x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 153 3.24x
Lancashire 79 1.40x
Durham 63 4.45x
Middlesex 42 0.88x
Surrey 30 1.29x
Kent 24 1.48x
Essex 18 1.92x
Cheshire 16 1.52x
Northumberland 10 1.41x
Warwickshire 8 0.67x
Midlothian 6 0.94x
Devon 5 0.50x
Nottinghamshire 5 0.78x
Sussex 5 0.62x
Hampshire 3 0.31x
Lanarkshire 3 0.19x
Lincolnshire 3 0.39x
Perthshire 3 1.40x
Cornwall 2 0.37x
Cumberland 2 0.49x
Glamorgan 2 0.24x
Gloucestershire 2 0.21x
Suffolk 2 0.34x
Dorset 1 0.32x
Oxfordshire 1 0.34x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Stockton On Tees in Durham leads with 25 Jansons recorded in 1881 and an index of 36.62x.

Place Total Index
Stockton On Tees 25 36.62x
Croydon 18 13.98x
Middleton Tyas 15 1666.67x
Blackburn 12 7.98x
Holy Trinity 11 9.70x
Ripon 10 91.41x
Spennithorne 9 2727.27x
West Tanfield 9 1000.00x
Aston 8 2.42x
Chislehurst 8 91.85x
Fishwick 8 229.23x
Halifax 8 11.55x
Hunslet 8 10.88x
Kearsley 8 67.28x
North Ferriby 8 1038.96x
Clerkenwell London 7 6.23x
Leyton 7 43.24x
Barking 6 21.83x
Camberwell 6 1.97x
Euxton 6 320.86x
Frodsham 6 147.42x
Horton In Bradford 6 8.14x
Lancaster 6 17.85x
Low Coniscliffe 6 2222.22x
North Leith 6 20.33x
Speldhurst 6 72.55x
Tottenham 6 7.91x
Azerley 5 446.43x
Barrow In Furness 5 6.51x
Birkenhead 5 5.97x
Bromley 5 20.19x
Cheetham 5 11.87x
Exeter St Sidwell 5 22.04x
Hessle In Sculcoates 5 119.90x
Huddersfield 5 7.28x
Salford 5 3.01x
Walton Le Dale 5 32.94x
Watton 5 961.54x
Westoe 5 6.23x
Bollington In 4 42.78x
Dalton In Huddersfield 4 37.84x
Gateshead 4 3.77x
Hammersmith London 4 3.41x
Headlam 4 2352.94x
Kirkleatham 4 62.79x
Scorton 4 606.06x
South Shields 4 31.70x
Tonbridge 4 6.83x
Wakefield 4 11.05x
Warden 4 275.86x
West Derby 4 2.42x
Chirton 3 18.71x
Darlington 3 5.49x
Gate Fulford 3 27.22x
Heaton Norris 3 9.33x
Hove 3 8.52x
Hulme 3 2.54x
Linthorpe 3 10.66x
Newington 3 23.09x
Nottingham St Mary 3 1.81x
Perth West Church 3 29.59x
Preston 3 1.99x
Sculcoates 3 4.01x
Sedgefield 3 59.41x
Shoreditch London 3 1.45x
Walthamstow 3 8.87x
Wombwell 3 21.82x
Aldeburgh 2 58.31x
Bentham 2 55.71x
Birkdale 2 14.00x
Bradford 2 1.75x
Bromley London 2 1.91x
Islington London 2 0.43x
Liverpool 2 0.58x
Richmond 2 6.15x
Southcoates 2 7.64x
St George In East London 2 4.47x
Thorner 2 130.72x
Whashton 2 1176.47x
Wootton 2 210.53x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 40
Jane 15
Sarah 12
Ann 11
Eliza 10
Ellen 10
Elizabeth 9
Margaret 9
Emma 7
Annie 6
Caroline 6
Martha 6
Alice 4
Charlotte 4
Fanny 4
Frances 4
Emily 3
Ethel 3
Isabella 3
Lilian 3
Louisa 3
Margret 3
Ada 2
Amy 2
Anne 2
Catherine 2
Esther 2
Florence 2
Hannah 2
Kate 2
Lucy 2
Matilda 2
Rachel 2
Rebecca 2
Agnes 1
Beryl 1
Bessie 1
C. 1
Edith 1
Eliz.A. 1
Elizth. 1
Elizth.Annie 1
Elvira 1
Emind 1
Gertrude 1
Grace 1
Harriet 1
Helen 1
Isabel 1
Victoria 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 40
William 24
George 19
Thomas 17
James 13
Robert 9
Charles 8
Henry 6
Alfred 5
Francis 5
Frederick 5
Peter 4
Albert 3
Edward 3
Frank 3
Leonard 3
Arthur 2
Butler 2
Herbert 2
J. 2
Joseph 2
Timothy 2
Vincent 2
Alphonsos 1
Ander 1
Dearman 1
Edgar 1
Edmund 1
Ernest 1
Fred 1
Fredk. 1
Fredrick 1
Gabriel 1
H.F. 1
Hans 1
Harold 1
Harry 1
Hemerish 1
Jas. 1
Jno.Wm. 1
Lawrence 1
Ludwig 1
Magnus 1
Mark 1
Mathew 1
Matthew 1
Miles 1
Nathan 1
Olif 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Janson surname: questions and answers

How common was the Janson surname in 1881?

In 1881, 554 people were recorded with the Janson surname. That placed it at #6,228 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Janson surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 268 in 2016. That gives Janson a modern rank of #16,003.

What does the Janson surname mean?

Derived from the Hebrew name "John," meaning "God is gracious," or from the name "Jan," a Scandinavian form of John.

What does the Janson map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Janson 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.