FREE ESSAY ON WHAT'S IN A NAME?

WHAT'S IN A NAME?

Amber Jensen
Dr. Meiser
English 110
September 27, 2000
What's in a Name?
I have always been very proud of everything that I have accomplished in my life. I am
proud of one thing more than anything else; my heritage. Ever since I was a child I was
told all about my grandparents and their trek from Denmark to the United States. I was
curious what their homeland was like, but it never seemed to be a topic of discussion. My
grandmother boasted the Danish flag in her home, and displayed little trinkets that said
"velkomen" on them. My knowledge was limited to these few things I saw when I was a
child. Since both of my grandparents had passed away, I started my research by picking up
the phone and calling my father.
My father, Larry Jensen, didn't know very much about Denmark either. He knew a few names
from his family and their birth dates, so I started from there. I hit the internet with
my newly obtained knowledge and I searched for anything that could link me to my past. I
did not find anything about any of my specific relatives, but I learned about how and why
I got my last name. Apparently, Danish people did not have last names until the late 19th
century when new laws were introduced forcing them to take on a surname. The common
people of Denmark didn't use family names to identify themselves. Before it was required
to have a last name, people used patronymics, meaning they took on their father's first
name with an ending to make their last name. It was also common for people in a town that
was large to use their occupation or place of 
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residence as a last name. Many of the girls would get the father's first name with
"datter" or "dotter" attached to it (meaning daughter of.) The boys would get their
father's first name with "sen" or "son" attached to it (meaning son of.) In Denmark,
"datter" and "dotter" meant the same thing, just as "sen," and "son" were the same thing
(Origins of Danish Names). 
The name Jensen, meaning "son of Jens," has many different spellings. The Dutch forms of
Jensen are Jans, Johansen, Janse, Jansen, Janssen, Hoensen and Janzen. The root of all of
these names comes from the stem or the variation of a stem, which is Jan. Jan translates
into John, from the name Yochanan, which is Hebrew. In Hebrew it meant 'Jehova' has
favored me with a son.' The Latin language adopted it as Johannes, and during the early
Christian era in Europe it was very popular as a given name (Origins of Danish Names).
Elsdon C. Smith said that the name Jensen meant the son of Jens, which is a deviation of
the name John, meaning gracious gift of Jehovan (247).
According to data recorded by Hamrick Software, Jensen is a widely popular name in the
northern Midwest. In Wisconsin, 1 of every 300 people has the last name Jensen. In states
such as Nevada, Idaho, and South Dakota, nearly 1 out of every 100 people have Jensen as
their last name (Jensen Surname Distribution). This clearly shows the immigration
patterns of the Danish people. According to my father and my grandfather, many Danish
people came to the United States with few skills. One of their few skills was farming.
They went to these states because they had a better chance of 
being successful in their trade, and they obviously were (Jensen). In the Encyclopedia of

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American Family Names, the name Jensen was ranked 239 on the poll of the most 
popular family names in the United States, showing that my last name is popular and
widespread (Robb Chesler 308).
When searching for my first name, I came across very bland answers to what my name meant.
Parenthoodweb says that Amber means reddish-yellow precious jewel. The name is Arabic in
origin. A different source, Zelo.com, says that Amber means colored in an orange or
yellow manner. Zelo.com also says that Amber has a French origin. Either way my name
means essentially the same thing in any language. It is a simple name that describes
hardened sap, a yellow color, and a jewel. The Kaliban Philosophy says that my name means
that I am responsible, expressive, inspirational, and friendly. Th Kaliban Philosophy
also says that I am self-confident and that I do not often experience loneliness. In
addition, it says that my name brings disappointment and emotional stresses from being
too emotionally influenced by people that are important to me.
In any respect I have a very interesting, yet common name. It is full of history and
meaning. I am lucky to have such close relations to my past and to my family. My Danish
roots will always be an important part of my life. I plan on educating my children about
their name and making sure they fully understand the depth and importance that comes with
the name Jensen.
Bibliography
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Works Cited
Jensen, Larry. Telephone interview. 22 Sept. 2000.
Jensen Surname Distribution. 25 Sept. 1999. Hamrick Software. 26 Sept. 2000 
http://www.hamrick.com/names/
The Jensen Surname Family Center. 25 Sept. 2000. Geocities. 26 Sept. 2000.
http://www.geocities.com/javan_j/JensenSRC/Jenen.html.
Kabalarian Philosopy. 17 Sept. 2000. 26 Sept. 2000. 
http://www.kabalarians.com/female/amber.htm.
Origins of Danish Names. 17 Sept 2000. Ida.net. 25 Sept. 2000. 
http://www.ida.net/users/dhanco.dnames.htm
Parenthoodweb.com. 25 Sept. 2000. Parenthoodweb.com. 26 Sept 2000. 
http://www.parenthoodweb.com/parent_cfmfiles/baby names.cfm
Robb, Amanda, and Andrew Chesler. Encyclopedia of American Family Names. 
Chicago: Harper Collins, 1995.
Smith, Elsdon C. New Dictionary of American Family Names. New York: Harper and 
Row, 1988.
Zelo.com. 25 Sept. 2000. Sept. 17 2000.