Jensen
Meaning
surname, "son of Jens (John)"
Famously borne by Jensen Huang, co-founder and CEO of NVIDIA.
The story
Jensen is Denmark's most common surname, son of Jens, and Jens is John, which makes this the third name in these batches, after Jax and Zane's cousin story, to trace back to the same ancient well of Johns, this time through Copenhagen. The American record idled for a century, under 470 a decade into the 1980s, then climbed: about 2,000 in the 1990s, 2,200, then 8,400 in the 2010s, nearly four times over, the seasons a demon-hunting elder brother with this surname anchored television's longest-running fantasy drama; decade buckets point, they do not convict. It stands at 7,100 so far this decade. In our records it goes to boys about 17,300 to 2,900, with a real girls' share this decade of about 410. A patronymic that crossed an ocean and became a first name: Jens would be pleased, whoever he was.
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Jensen peaked in the 2010s and the 2020s in nearly equal measure.
See popularity in Brazil
Popularity in Brazil
83 people · the #47,007 first name in Brazil · median age 15
Among people named Jensen living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
When you meet Jensen
Most people given the name Jensen in the United States are children or teenagers today. The name belongs to this generation.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Jensen deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Jensen truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Jensen fits with your family’s names and surname.
Keep exploring
Does Jensen fit YOUR family?
nametree reads your family’s names and finds the ones that belong. Free, private, no ads.
Add Jensen to your family’s tree →