Larsen
A Scandinavian masculine name derived from "Lars", meaning "crowned with laurel."
Name Census estimates that about 701 living Americans carry the first name Larsen. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 73.8% of registrations being male. The average person named Larsen today is around 18 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Larsen births was 2008 (37 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Larsen. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
701
~ 1 in 488,951 Americans
Peak year
2008
37 babies that year
Average age
18
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,319
Tracked since 1956
Gender
Gender distribution for Larsen
Larsen is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 713 total registrations, 526 (73.8%) were male and 187 (26.2%) were female.
Larsen as a male name
- Ranked #6,319 in 2024
- 14 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2000 (25 births)
Larsen as a female name
- Ranked #16,561 in 2024
- 5 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2008 (13 births)
Popularity
Larsen: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Larsen from the 1950s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 240 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Larsen remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Larsen by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Larsen during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Larsens live
Origin
Meaning and history of Larsen
The name Larsen is of Scandinavian origin, primarily derived from the Danish and Norwegian languages. It is believed to have emerged during the Viking era, around the 8th to 11th centuries AD.
Larsen is a patronymic surname, meaning it was originally formed by adding the suffix "-sen" to a given name, such as "Lars." The name "Lars" itself is a Scandinavian form of the Latin name "Laurentius," which means "from Laurentum" or "laurel plant."
In ancient Norse mythology, the laurel plant was associated with the god Baldr, known for his beauty, purity, and innocence. As a result, the name Larsen may have been bestowed upon individuals with perceived qualities of purity or innocence during the Viking era.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Larsen can be traced back to the 12th century in Denmark and Norway. One notable figure bearing this name was Laurentius Larsen, a Danish clergyman and historian who lived from 1660 to 1726. He is best known for his work "De Danarum rebus gestis" (On the Deeds of the Danes), which documented Danish history.
Another prominent figure was Laurits Larsen Skau, a Norwegian painter and illustrator born in 1817. He is renowned for his landscape paintings and illustrations depicting Norwegian folklore and rural life.
In the literary world, Larsen was the surname of Danish author and playwright Ludvig Larsen Holberg, who lived from 1684 to 1754. He is considered one of the founders of modern Danish literature and is particularly known for his comedic plays and satirical works.
Moving to the realm of exploration, Lauritz Larsen Kaalund was a Danish explorer and naval officer who led several expeditions to Greenland in the early 19th century. His contributions to the mapping and exploration of the Arctic regions were significant.
Lastly, Lauritz Larsen Gemzøe, born in 1885, was a Danish architect renowned for his innovative and modern designs. He played a crucial role in shaping the architectural landscape of Copenhagen during the early 20th century.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who carried the name Larsen, reflecting its Scandinavian roots and the diverse fields in which it has been represented.
People
Larsen + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Larsen as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with L
Other first names starting with L with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Larsen: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Larsen?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 701 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Larsen going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 488,951 US residents.
Is Larsen a common name?
We classify Larsen as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 713 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Larsen most popular?
The single biggest year for Larsen was 2008, when 37 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Larsen is about 18 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Larsen a male name?
Yes, 73.8% of people registered as Larsen in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.