NameCensus.

UK surname

Johanson

Son of Johan, a Scandinavian form of John, meaning "God is gracious."

In the 1881 census there were 77 people recorded with the Johanson surname, ranking it #22,617 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 277, ranked #15,619, up from #22,617 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Hull Holy Trinity and Gateshead. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Sefton, The Vale of Glamorgan and Knowsley.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Johanson is 277 in 2016. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 259.7%.

1881 census count

77

Ranked #22,617

Modern count

277

2016, ranked #15,619

Peak year

2016

277 bearers

Map years

6

1891 to 2016

Key insights

  • Johanson had 77 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #22,617 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 277 in 2016, ranked #15,619.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 190 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Johanson surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Johanson surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Johanson 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 9 #31,675
1861 historical 67 #25,342
1881 historical 77 #22,617
1891 historical 137 #19,501
1901 historical 172 #16,643
1911 historical 190 #15,438
1997 modern 247 #15,399
1998 modern 260 #15,291
1999 modern 261 #15,353
2000 modern 236 #16,380
2001 modern 228 #16,525
2002 modern 239 #16,332
2003 modern 239 #16,093
2004 modern 233 #16,471
2005 modern 224 #16,876
2006 modern 218 #17,297
2007 modern 224 #17,193
2008 modern 238 #16,640
2009 modern 249 #16,466
2010 modern 276 #15,637
2011 modern 259 #16,237
2012 modern 264 #15,904
2013 modern 269 #15,963
2014 modern 267 #16,161
2015 modern 274 #15,749
2016 modern 277 #15,619

Geography

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Where Johansons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Hull Holy Trinity, Gateshead, All Saints Poplar and Liverpool. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Sefton, The Vale of Glamorgan, Knowsley and Cardiff. 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 Hull Holy Trinity Yorkshire, East Riding
3 Gateshead Durham
4 All Saints Poplar London (East Districts)
5 Liverpool Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Sefton 029 Sefton
2 The Vale of Glamorgan 006 Vale of Glamorgan
3 Knowsley 005 Knowsley
4 Sefton 034 Sefton
5 Cardiff 013 Cardiff

Forenames

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First names often paired with Johanson

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Johanson

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Johanson, 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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Johanson surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Johanson household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Johanson 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

Johanson 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

Johanson falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

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

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Johanson is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

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

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Johanson

The surname Johanson originated in Scandinavia, particularly in Sweden and Norway. It is a patronymic name, meaning it derived from a father's given name Johan, which is the Swedish and Norwegian form of John. The suffix "-son" means "son of" in these Scandinavian languages.

During the Middle Ages, many Scandinavian people only had one name, often derived from their father's name. As population grew and more clarity was needed, surnames like Johanson became more common, indicating the person was the son of a man named Johan.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Johanson can be found in the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, a collection of medieval Norwegian diplomas and documents dating back to the 12th century. The name appears in various spellings, such as Johannesson and Johansson.

In the late 16th century, a man named Olof Johanson was recorded as a resident of Gävle, a city in central Sweden. He was likely named after his father, Johan, following the patronymic naming tradition.

Another early example is Nils Johanson, a Swedish soldier who fought in the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648) under King Gustavus Adolphus. He was born around 1600 in Småland, Sweden.

In the 18th century, a prominent figure with the surname was Johan Johanson Nauckhoff (1677-1751), a Swedish politician and landowner who served as the Lord of the Realm and Governor of Uppsala County.

During the 19th century, Anders Johanson (1816-1891) was a Swedish-American author and journalist who immigrated to the United States in 1842 and became a vocal advocate for Swedish immigration to the Midwest.

Another notable individual was Johan August Johanson (1861-1927), a Swedish-American businessman and industrialist who founded the J.A. Johanson Manufacturing Company in Chicago, which produced metal products for the construction industry.

As the surname Johanson spread beyond Scandinavia, it evolved into various spellings and forms, such as Johnson, Johansen, and Jansen, reflecting the linguistic influences of different regions and cultures.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Johanson families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Johanson 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 18 Johansons recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.40x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 18 2.40x
Lancashire 11 1.23x
Clackmannanshire 8 129.03x
Yorkshire 8 1.07x
Dunbartonshire 6 29.73x
Durham 6 2.69x
Northumberland 5 4.47x
Kent 3 1.17x
Surrey 3 0.82x
Glamorgan 2 1.53x
Lanarkshire 2 0.82x
Cheshire 1 0.60x
Midlothian 1 0.99x
Norfolk 1 0.87x
Orkney 1 12.11x
Renfrewshire 1 1.72x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Liverpool in Lancashire leads with 10 Johansons recorded in 1881 and an index of 18.47x.

Place Total Index
Liverpool 10 18.47x
Clackmannan 8 683.76x
Paddington London 6 21.72x
Roseneath 6 1538.46x
Goole 5 400.00x
Poplar London 5 35.26x
North Shields 4 179.37x
Holy Trinity 3 16.76x
Plumstead 3 35.13x
Southwick 3 141.51x
Westminster St John 3 32.79x
Bishopwearmouth 2 10.43x
Cardiff St Mary 2 27.78x
Govan 2 3.33x
Ancroft 1 256.41x
Bootle Cum Linacre 1 14.12x
Bow London 1 10.46x
Camberwell 1 2.08x
Grange 1 3333.33x
Greenock Oldor West 1 625.00x
Kings Lynn St Margaret 1 28.82x
Kirkwall St Ola 1 80.65x
Leith South 1 714.29x
St George Hanover Square 1 7.56x
St George In East London 1 14.16x
St Pancras London 1 1.65x
Stranton 1 13.30x
Sutton 1 37.74x
Wimbledon 1 24.33x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Elizabeth 2
Alice 1
Amanda 1
Anne 1
Annie 1
Bambien 1
Bretta 1
Cecily 1
Christiana 1
Christine 1
Constance 1
Eliza 1
Ellen 1
Emily 1
Emma 1
Hanah 1
Ida 1
Jane 1
Margaret 1
Mary 1
Sarah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
Anders 2
Carl 2
Johan 2
John 2
A. 1
Abraham 1
Alfred 1
Amandus 1
Benjamin 1
Charles 1
Chas. 1
Christian 1
Claus 1
Emand 1
Eric 1
Fred 1
Gushaw 1
Henry 1
J.A. 1
James 1
Karl 1
L. 1
Lars 1
Matts 1
Olaf 1
Ole 1
Peter 1
Robt.Geo. 1
Salman 1
T. 1
William 1

FAQ

Johanson surname: questions and answers

How common was the Johanson surname in 1881?

In 1881, 77 people were recorded with the Johanson surname. That placed it at #22,617 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Johanson surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 277 in 2016. That gives Johanson a modern rank of #15,619.

What does the Johanson surname mean?

Son of Johan, a Scandinavian form of John, meaning "God is gracious."

What does the Johanson map show?

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