Surname Jenssen - Meaning and Origin

Jenssen: What does the surname Jenssen mean?

The last name Jenssen is of Scandinavian origin, specifically Danish and Norwegian, deriving from personal names popular in these regions. Jenssen is a patronymic surname, indicating that the bearer is "son of Jens." The name Jens is the Danish and Frisian form of John, which in turn originates from the Hebrew name Yohanan, meaning "Jehovah has been gracious." Thus, the surname Jenssen subtly carries this religious connotation through the generations. Like many patronymic surnames, it shows a direct lineage, identifying a person by their immediate male ancestor. Variations of this surname include Jensen, Johannsen, and Jansen. It is important to note that the use of surnames was not common in Scandinavia until the late nineteenth century, previously using the patronymic naming tradition, thus surnames such as Jenssen are relatively recent in historical terms. As people migrated and families grew, these types of surnames grew more prominent as a way for individuals to assert and identify their family connections. It remains a common surname especially in Denmark and Norway.

Jenssen: Where does the name Jenssen come from?

The last name Jenssen is of Norwegian origin and is a patronymic surname meaning "son of Jens," where Jens is the Danish-Norwegian form of the name John. Like other Nordic countries, Norway practiced a patronymic naming system, where last names were derived from the father’s name. In this case, it was common for children to have the father's first name, Jens, with the added “sen” which translates to “son”. This naming convention resulted in a wide variety of surnames across these countries.

Today, the surname Jenssen is still common in Norway, but it can also be found in various other countries due to immigration, such as the United States, Germany, and other European countries. The spelling may differ slightly based on local custom or transliteration, sometimes seen as Jensen in Denmark and Sweden. However, as with other legacy patronymic surnames, they are no longer updated with each generation; a person named Jenssen today may not necessarily have a father named Jens.

Variations of the surname Jenssen

The surname Jenssen is of Scandinavian origin, particularly known in Norway and Denmark. It derive from the personal name Jens, the Danish and Norwegian form of John which means 'God is gracious'. Its variants include Jensen, Jensson, and Jensdatter (for females, primarily used in older times). Other forms of the surname can be Jenson, Janssen, and Jonsson, as well as Johnsen.

Due to the patronymic nature of these surnames, meaning they were derived from the father's given name, there are variations across different countries and regions, reflecting different linguistic practices. For instance, in Sweden, the form Jonsson is more common.

The spelling of Jenssen can also be slightly altered based on linguistic preferences, including Genssen or Yenssen. While these are not common, occasional variants could occur due to misspellings or transcription errors in historical records.

Certain suffixes can be added to the surname creating variations like Jenssenberg, Jenssenfeld or Jenssenstein. Although these are less common, they can be found in various historical or contemporary records.

However, it is important not to confuse Jenssen with similarly spelled surnames of different origins, such as Jansen, which is of Dutch origin.

Famous people with the name Jenssen

• Anni-Frid Lyngstad (also known as Frida), a Swedish singer and member of the pop group ABBA.
• Hans Jenssen, an Austrian alpine ski racer and Olympic medalist.
• Mads Jenssen, a Norwegian Cross-Country skier and Olympic medalist.
• Erik Jenssen, a renowned Danish landscape architect.
• Bonita Jenssen, a Norwegian record-holding ultra-marathon runner.
• Carl Jenssen, a professional American baseball player.
• Stig Jenssen, a Swedish Grammy-award-winning DJ and electronic musician.
• Breanne Jenssen, an American marathon runner.
• Karianne Jenssen, a Norwegian-born actor.
• Tore Jenssen, a Norwegian architect and industrial designer.

Other surnames

JenssJensson