Johansen
A Scandinavian patronymic surname meaning “son of Johan.”
The #3,619 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 31,456 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Johansen is a patronymic surname built from the personal name Johan and the Scandinavian suffix -sen, meaning “son.” In older forms, the same pattern appears as Johannesen, literally “Johannes’s son.” The name ultimately traces back through Johan to John, from Hebrew Yochanan, “God is gracious.”
History
This is a very common surname type in Denmark and Norway, where hereditary surnames often developed from older patronymic naming practices. In English-language records, the form Johansen was often kept by immigrants and their descendants, while related forms such as Johanson, Johannesen, and Jonsen also appear.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The ending -sen is one of the clearest clues that a surname is Scandinavian and originally meant “son of.”
From the historical record
“JOHANNESEN (Scand.) Johannes's Son 1 _ JOHANSEN (Scand.) Johan's Son J Johnson, q.v. in Diet. [Dan.-Norw.. jij«, son] JUNG (Ger.) Young [O.H.Ger. j««^] See Young in Diet. KAHN (Heb.) a Ger. form of Cohen, q.v. in”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)