Surname Janns - Meaning and Origin
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Janns: What does the surname Janns mean?
The last name Janns is of German and Dutch origin and is thought to be derived from the personal name Jan, a shortened form of the name Johannes or Johann, derived from the Hebrew name Yochanan and meaning “God is gracious”. The surname Janns is a patronymic name, meaning it denotes a son of Jan or Johannes, likely first adopted in the Middle Ages.
The common Dutch and German languages of the Middle Ages were instrumental in the proliferation of the last name Janns, as word-of-mouth spread further and wider and people of different regions adopted similar variations of the same name, such as Jans, Jamie and Kuhn.
Throughout Europe, the Janns surname appears to be of Dutch or Germanic origin and was adopted early by a variety of families.
In Germany, people bearing the Janns surname can be found mostly in North Rhine–Westphalia, Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein, while at several points in its history, the Janns surname also emerged in the countries of Ireland, Belgium, Latvia, Czechoslovakia, Lithuania, Latvia, Hungary and Slovakia.
The Janns surname has several possible spelling variations, including Jans, Jansen, Janssens, Janson, Janus, Jentz and Janning.
In families bearing the Janns last name, it is typically a tradition to keep the spelling consistent, but some families still maintain different variations, particularly if they lived in a country where the spelling changed through history.
Order DNA origin analysisJanns: Where does the name Janns come from?
The last name Janns is most commonly found in Northern and Central Europe, particularly in Germany and the Low Countries. It is also found in other parts of Europe, particularly in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. In the United States, as of the most recent census, the Janns surname is most commonly found in states such as Texas, California, Florida, New York, and Pennsylvania.
The origin of the Janns surname is most likely German and Dutch. The surname likely derives from the given name Johann, which originates from the Hebrew name Yehohanan. This name is derived from the Hebrew words for “God is gracious”. It is likely that the surname originally formed when someone with the given name Johann adopted a patronymic form of the name, adding a suffix assigned to him such as “s” or “sen”, as was popular at the time.
Over the centuries, Janns has been occasionally modified, sometimes as a result of immigration or other circumstances, to become more phonetically similar to other languages, such as Anglicizing the spelling to Janes or Jansen. Other forms of the name include Janz, Janssens, and Jansen.
Variations of the surname Janns
The surname Janns is a fairly rare surname. It can be found in records in the United States, United Kingdom, and other countries throughout Europe. Variant spellings and surnames of the same origin for Janns include Jans, Jaens, Jaensch, Jenz, Jens, Jantz, Jenski, Gans, Gants, and Gantz.
In the United States, the surname Janns can be found in records from the 19th century. It is believed to be of German or Dutch origin, derived from the given name Johannes. Variants of this name in the Netherlands include Jans, Jansen, and Janse. Dutch settlers with the surname Jansen who immigrated to the United States in the mid-1800s have been found in New York, Pennsylvania, and other areas along the east coast.
In the United Kingdom,variants of the Janns surname can be found in the early 1700s in records from Lincolnshire, Buckinghamshire, and Norfolk. The variants of Jenz and Jantz are believed to be the result of immigration in the 19th century from Denmark and Germany.
The German variants of the surname Janns include Jaensch, Jens, and Jenski. It is believed to come fromthe Middle High German word "genz," meaning “goose” or “duck,” and would have been used as a nickname for a person who resembled those birds. The Gans, Gants, and Gantz surnames are also believed to be of German origin.
Overall, the surname Janns has multiple variants derived from different languages and countries. It can be found in Europe and the United States primarily, and is generally thought to be of German or Dutch origin.
Famous people with the name Janns
- Marianne Janns: former German field hockey player and Olympic medalist.
- Dmitry Janns: Russian singer-songwriter, arranger and multi-instrumentalist.
- Walt Janns: former professional American football defensive back.
- Guy Janns: Belgian actor known for his roles in the films Where Do We Go Now? and Pumpkin in a Basket.
- Philippe Janns: French architect and sculptor.
- John Janns: New Zealand Forestry Commission officer, long distance tramp and travel writer.
- Daniil Janns: Russian composer and pianist best known for composing original classical and fusion-style music.
- Dick Janns: former Dutch cyclist and bronze medalist at the 1928 UCI Track Cycling World Championships.
- Olivier Janns: Belgian engineer, caricaturist, and photographer.
- Albert Janns: Mexican film producer and pioneering filmmaker.
- Gert Janns: Dutch painter of the 17th-century Dutch school.
- David Janns: American artist and US Air Force veteran.
- Emil Janns: German painter from Stuttgart.
- Danny Janns: former Swiss professional ice hockey forward.
- Ronald Janns: Dutch music producer, engineer, promoter and former musical journalist.