The Gens surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 535 people carried this name — #40,800 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 555,600 people counted. That is up 1% from 528 in 2000.
Where the name comes from
The origin of the Gens surname
Borrowed from German Gens, a variant of Jens.
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Gens» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.
In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 313 people named Gens.
9 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 24 départements, most often Nord.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In Argentina’s national register
At least 130 people named Gens live in Argentina.
RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.
In Poland’s population register
26 people named Gens have a registered home in Poland.
Of the 39 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 4 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Łódź.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.
In Belgium’s population register
At least 25 people named Gens live in Belgium.
Statbel only publishes a name in a municipality when five or more people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Liège.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
Statbel (Statistics Belgium), family names of the population by municipality, 1 January 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
Who carried it
People named Gens,
with a public archive behind them.
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Horst Gens d. 1997
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Eduard Gens 1883–1969 · physician
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Shimon Gens 1907–1967 · writer
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Leo Gens 1922–2001 · art historian
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Wolfgang Gens 1933–2025 · professor
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Tiina Gens 1941– · badminton player
Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Gens.
- Gennari 373 · U.S. census
- Gennaro 1,304 · U.S. census
- Genova 2,355 · U.S. census
- Genovese 5,147 · U.S. census
- Genovesi 339 · U.S. census
- Genre 138 · U.S. census
- Gensel 578 · U.S. census
- Genser 284 · U.S. census
- Genson 657 · U.S. census
- Gent 2,199 · U.S. census
- Genta 243 · U.S. census
- Genter 668 · U.S. census
When the index is not enough
This page says where Gens is.
A volume says what happened to it.
Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.