Jørgensen is a common Danish and Norwegian patronymic surname meaning "son of Jørgen." The given name Jørgen itself is the Danish and Norwegian form of Jürgen, which is the Low German form of George.
The ultimate root of the name George is the Greek name Γεώργιος (Georgios), derived from the word γεωργός (georgos) meaning "farmer, earthworker," itself from γῆ (ge) "earth" and ἔργον (ergon) "work." The name became widely popular due to the veneration of Saint George, a 3rd-century Roman soldier and martyr, who later became the patron saint of England, Portugal, Catalonia, and Aragon. The name George later gained prominence in the British royal family beginning with the German-born George I in the 18th century.
Jørgensen is the tenth most common surname in Denmark, shared by about 1.8% of the population according to 2009 data, and is the 22nd most common in Norway. Scandinavian immigrants who settled in English-speaking countries often anglicized the spelling to Jorgensen or Jorgenson to conform to English orthographic rules, and English-language media typically follows this convention by rendering Jørgensen as Jorgensen.
Many notable individuals bear this surname, including Adolf Ditlev Jørgensen, a 19th-century Danish historian; Arndt Jorgens, a Norwegian-American baseball player; and Albert N. Jorgensen, an American academic administrator. The name also appears in various forms across other languages, such as Bulgarian Georgiev and Georgieva, Armenian Gevorgian or Kevorkian, and Serbian Đurić, all derived from the same Greek root.
Key Facts
- Meaning: Son of Jørgen (George)
- Origin: Scandinavian (Danish and Norwegian)
- Type: Patronymic surname
- Common anglicizations: Jorgensen, Jorgenson
- Usage regions: Denmark, Norway, and diaspora communities
Roots
Other Languages & Cultures
Sources: Wikipedia — Jorgensen