Surname Jansson - Meaning and Origin

Jansson: What does the surname Jansson mean?

The last name Jansson is of Scandinavian origin, more specifically from Sweden. It is a patronymic surname, meaning it is derived from the name of a father or a paternal ancestor. In this case, the name Jansson means "son of Jan". The "-sson" suffix is common in Swedish surnames and typically indicates "son of". "Jan" is a Scandinavian version of "John" in English, therefore, Jansson can be loosely translated to "Johnson". The tradition of using patronymic surnames was common in Scandinavian countries until the late 19th to early 20th century, when laws were passed requiring families to choose a single, hereditary last name. Consequently, these surnames have become very common in these regions.

Jansson: Where does the name Jansson come from?

The last name Jansson is of Scandinavian origin, predominantly from Sweden. It follows the traditional Scandinavian patronymic naming pattern, where the father's first name is taken with the addition of -son (meaning 'son of') to form the surname. Therefore, Jansson would mean 'son of Jan'. The name Jan is a variant of John in Dutch, Scandinavian, and Czech languages. This naming tradition was widely used in Scandinavian countries until the 19th century, when they started adopting family surnames carried down through generations.

Today, the surname Jansson is still very common in Sweden, as well as Finland, which has a significant Swedish-speaking population. Swedish immigration also brought the surname to countries like the United States, Canada, and Australia, although it's less prevalent in these areas. The use of Jansson across the world has diverse spelling variations including Janson, Janssen, Janssens, and others depending on regional language influence.

Variations of the surname Jansson

The surname Jansson, of Scandinavian origin, has a few variations and it is pretty common mainly in Sweden, where it is the 2nd most common surname. The name Jansson means "Son of Jan." The variants of this surname are usually dependent on the cultural and regional differences. It can be written as Johansson, Jonsson, Jensson, or even Johnsson, adjusting the original "Jan" to other local names.

In other countries, the surname can undergo some changes to adapt to the local language, such as Johnson in English, Janssen in Dutch, or Hansen in Norwegian and Danish. Similarly, in Iceland, rather than a surname system, they have a patronymic naming system and the direct equivalent would be Jónsson.

Yanson and Yanov are common variations found in Eastern Europe, primarily in Russia, where "-ov" and "-son" have the same meaning.

Another form is Jenssøn, widely used in Denmark. Other rarer, mainly historic variants could include Iansson, Ianssen or Ianson.

In Finland, this surname can also be found in the Swedish-speaking population and is spelled the same way as in Sweden. However, in the Finnish-speaking population, the equivalent surname would be "Jäntti" or "Jäntti," though this isn't as common.

Famous people with the name Jansson

• Tove Jansson: A Swedish-speaking Finnish author, novelist, painter, illustrator, and comic-strip creator, famous for creating Moomins.
• Stephan Jansson: He was a Swedish scholar and theologian and was appointed to the Uppsala University as professor of Greek in 1626.
• Tom Jansson: A Swedish economist and former Deputy Governor of the Swedish Central Bank from 1994 to 1998.
• Jussi Jansson: A former Finnish footballer who played as a forward.
• Maria Jansson: A Swedish writer popular for her series about pets with special needs.
• Andreas Jansson: A Solar Physicist working at the Swedish Institute of Space Physics.
• Spike Jansson: A notable Finnish jockey renowned in the horse racing world.
• Helena Jansson: A Swedish orienteer who has won multiple World Championships.
• Jan Jansson: A notable mapmaker from the 17th-century Dutch cartographic school.
• Per Jansson: A previous Deputy Governor of the Sveriges Riksbank, the central bank of Sweden.
• Lars Jansson: A Finnish jazz and classical pianist and composer.
• Susanna Jansson: A Swedish author best known for her crime thrillers.

Other surnames

JanssJanssenJanssens