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Jensen Family History

Jensen Surname Meaning

Danish, Norwegian, and North German: patronymic from the personal name Jens, a shortened form of Johannes (see John). This is the most frequent surname in Denmark.

In North America, this surname is also an altered form of the variant Jenssen. Compare Jenson 2 and Johnson.

English: variant of Jennison.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: 

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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

Where is the Jensen family from?

You can see how Jensen families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Jensen family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1841 and 1920. The most Jensen families were found in USA in 1920. In 1880 there were 1,303 Jensen families living in Utah. This was about 29% of all the recorded Jensen's in USA. Utah had the highest population of Jensen families in 1880.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Jensen surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Jensen ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Farmer and Housewife were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Jensen. 19% of Jensen men worked as a Farmer and 8% of Jensen women worked as a Housewife. Some less common occupations for Americans named Jensen were Salesman and Housekeeper.

View Census Data for Jensen | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Farmer
    19%
  • Laborer
    10%
  • Carpenter
    4%
  • Salesman
    4%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Housewife
    8%
  • Stenographer
    7%
  • Teacher
    7%
  • Housekeeper
    6%

What Jensen family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 397,000 census records available for the last name Jensen. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Jensen census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Jensen

Passenger Lists

There are 269,000 immigration records available for the last name Jensen. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Jensen immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 82,000 military records available for the last name Jensen. For the veterans among your Jensen ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Jensen military records

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