Jens is a boy's name from Denmark, Norway and northern Germany. It began as a medieval form of Johannes, the name behind John, and it means "God is gracious." It is pronounced "yens": the J sounds like the Y in "yes," and it rhymes with "fence."

How do you pronounce Jens?

Jens is one syllable, said YENS. The J sounds like the Y in "yes," not the J in "jam." The E is short, as in "bed." The name ends on a sharp S rather than a buzzing Z, so it rhymes with "fence." Danish, German, Dutch and Swedish all give it the same sound: /ˈjɛns/.

What does the name Jens mean?

Jens means "God is gracious." The meaning comes from the Hebrew name Yochanan, which became Ioannes in Greek and Johannes in Latin. Jens grew out of Johannes in medieval Denmark, where it has been recorded since the 14th century. That makes it the same name, at the root, as John, Johann, Hans, Jan, Juan and Ivan.

Where does the name Jens come from?

Jens comes from Denmark, where it began as a medieval form of Johannes. Between 2002 and 2012 it was the most common first name for men and boys of all ages in the country. Norway and Sweden took the name from Danish, and it was still the 30th most popular name for baby boys in Norway in 2025. In Germany it came through Low German, the language of northern Germany, or from Danish. It is also used in Dutch, Icelandic, Faroese and Frisian. The surname Jensen, originally "son of Jens," is one of the most common surnames in Denmark.

Is Jens a boy's or a girl's name?

Jens is a boy's name. Wiktionary, Behind the Name and Wikipedia all list it as male, whether the language is Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, German, Dutch or Icelandic. For a girl, Danish has Jensine, which Wiktionary lists as the female equivalent of Jens.

Famous people named Jens

A few well-known people named Jens:

  • Jens Stoltenberg: Norway's minister of finance since 2025, twice prime minister of Norway, and NATO secretary general from 2014 to 2024.
  • Jens Lehmann: German football coach and former goalkeeper, a member of Arsenal's unbeaten "Invincibles."
  • Jens Voigt: German former professional road cyclist, now a cycling commentator.

Which Jens is this?

I'm Jens Heitmann, an entrepreneur and fractional AI leader. I help companies put AI to work, and I write about what's actually working for over 100,000 business owners across the web. This page is about the name itself. If you came looking for me, start here: