Jessen
A Scandinavian patronymic surname meaning “son of Jes/Jes(s),” ultimately tied to a short form of the biblical name Jesus or Jespersen-type personal-name traditions.
The #7,327 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 67,811 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Jessen is best understood as a patronymic surname: the ending -sen means “son of,” so the name originally identified someone as the son of a man called Jess or a related short form. In Scandinavian naming, Jess is often a reduced form connected with Jesper or with older Christian naming traditions ultimately linked to Jesus. In German areas the same spelling can also appear as a surname formed in the same patronymic way.
History
The 19th-century sources place Jessen among surnames common in Denmark and also note German usage. In English records it can appear as part of the broader Scandinavian influx of surnames ending in -son/-sen. Today it is especially familiar in Denmark and northern Germany, with some spread to English-speaking countries through migration.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older surname scholars grouped Jessen with a whole family of Danish -sen names such as Iversen, Hansen, and Jepsen, treating them as a strongly Scandinavian pattern.
From the historical record
“Jesson. From Jessains ; a loc. n France. OrJessen,Germ. ; D.,N Dch., FI. Jessen ; p.n. See Chas Jessop. D. Jess; a p.n. Jesshope a loc. n. Jesty. Fr. Jestin; a p.n. St Jewson”
— British Family Names: their origin and meaning (2nd ed.)