Origine et histoire

Patronymic surname meaning 'son of Jan', the Swedish and North Germanic form of John, derived from Latin 'Johannes' and ultimately Hebrew 'Yohanan' (God is gracious). Jan is the most widely used short form of Johan across the Nordic countries and the Netherlands, and Jansson is accordingly common throughout Sweden, particularly in the provinces of Uppland and Gastrikland. The surname is most famous internationally through Tove Jansson, the Finnish Swedish-speaking author and illustrator who created the Moomin characters.