Surname Johnsen - Meaning and Origin
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Johnsen: What does the surname Johnsen mean?
The last name Johnsen is a patronymic surname derived from the given name John. Patronymic surnames are among the oldest and most common type of family name in Europe. It is derived from the given name of the father, and originally indicated that a person was the son of a man named John.
John is a popular English given name derived from the Old French Johan, which is a latinised version of the Hebrew name Yochanan meaning “Yahweh is gracious”, referring to Yahweh, the Jewish God. John is derived from the Hebrew name Yochanan which also gave rise to a variety of other languages' versions including the German Johannes, Icelandic Johannes, and Latin Ioannes.
The name Johnsen is derived from a language called Middle Low German. The suffix -sen or -sön is a patronymic suffix, meaning "son". The combination of the given name John and the patronymic suffix -sen form the surname Johnsen. This surname can also be found written as Johnson, and is found most prominently in Scandinavian countries.
Johnsen is also found as a surname in the United States. In the United States and Canada it is the 38th most common surname. The first wave of immigrants with this surname mostly originate from Scotland, Germany, Iceland, and Denmark. The vast majority of Americans with the Johnsen name are descendants of Northern European immigrants who came to America in the period from 1620 to the mid-1800s.
The Johnsen surname is a proud indication of a person’s ancestry. It is also a name that carries a long and distinguished history, and is a reminder of the journeys many families have undertaken.
Order DNA origin analysisJohnsen: Where does the name Johnsen come from?
Johnsen is a surname that is commonly found in Scandinavia, particularly in Norway and Denmark. It is one of the most popular surnames in Norway, in which it was the 19th most commonly occurring surname between 1875 and 2019. Other Scandinavian countries have lower frequencies of the name, but it is still common across Scandinavia.
Outside of Scandinavia, Johnsen is much less common. The surname as a whole is not found in the United States' top 1,000 surnames, or most popular list. However, there are successes of immigrants with the name Johnsen settling in the United States, and so there are some families with the name throughout the country.
In the United Kingdom, the name is slightly more common. It ranked in the top 5,000 surnames there (out of a population of around 65 million).
In continental Europe, the surname can be found in countries such as Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands, with the most common locations being in Germany and Holland.
To summarise, the most common place for the surname Johnsen is the Scandinavian countries, particularly Norway and Denmark, with lower rates present in other European countries and around the United States.
Variations of the surname Johnsen
Johnsen is a surname of Scandinavian origin, derived from the personal name “John.” It is a patronymic surname, meaning that it was originally derived from the name of a father or ancestor. The variants and spellings of Johnsen are plentiful, and include Jonsen, Jonsson, Johansen, Johanson, Jonson, Jonsdottir, Johannson, Jonsdotter, Jonnson, Joensen, Jansson, Jensen, Jansson, Jannson, Joensen, Johansson, Johannsen, Jansen, and Jansdotter.
Many of the surname variants will be spelled differently depending on the country of origin. In Iceland, it may be spelled as Jónsson, while in Norway it may be spelled as Jonassen. Some of the surnames that have been adopted in the United States have slightly different spellings, such as Johnson, Jaunsen, Jianccen, Jeffsen, or Jeppsen.
Johnsen is a common surname in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland, and is also found in the United States, Canada, and Australia. It is also commonly found in the Netherlands, Germany, France, and other European countries.
Johnsen is a patronymic name, with variations of it being found all over the globe; it is likely that many individuals today share a common ancestor with this surname. With its many variations and spellings, the possibility of finding a direct line of individuals who share the same ancestry as you exists.
Famous people with the name Johnsen
- Nilo Johnsen, an American former basketball player.
- Jan Johnsen, a Norwegian jazz musician.
- Kjetil Johnsen, a Norwegian professional football player.
- Mark Johnsen, an American former basketball player.
- Morten Johnsen, a Norwegian ski jumper.
- Jørn Johnsen, a Norwegian jazz musician.
- Rikke Johnsen, a Danish footballer.
- David Johnsen, an American former basketball player.
- Karsten Johnsen, a former Norwegian football player.
- Andy Johnsen, an American former soccer player.
- Sandra Johnsen, a Norwegian businesswoman.
- Lars Johnsen, a Norwegian ski jumper.
- Trine Johnsen, a Norwegian footballer.
- Stian Johnsen, a Norwegian handball player.
- Tom Johnsen, a Norwegian kickboxer.
- Charles Johnsen, a Danish-American illustrator.
- Erling Johnsen, a Norwegian jazz musician.
- Jostein Johnsen, a Norwegian writer and psychologist.
- Magne Johnsen, a retired Norwegian football player.
- Niels-Anton Johnsen, a Danish musician and composer.