Find out how popular the last name Aarseth is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Aarseth.

Aarseth, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Aarseth surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Aarseth in America

Aarseth is the 160975th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Aarseth surname appeared 100 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Aarseth.

The history of the last name Aarseth

The surname Aarseth originates from Norway and can be traced back to the late 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old Norse words "ār", meaning "year", and "setr", meaning "shieling" or "mountain pasture". The name likely referred to a summer farm or pasture used seasonally during particular times of the year.

The earliest known record of the name appears in a Norwegian census from 1593, where it is spelled "Aarseth". This spelling has remained relatively consistent over the centuries, with minor variations such as "Aarsæth" or "Aarsett" appearing in some historical documents.

In the 17th century, several individuals with the surname Aarseth were mentioned in church records from the Møre og Romsdal region of Norway. One notable example is Hans Aarseth, a farmer born in 1642 in the village of Ålesund.

The name can also be found in local land records and property deeds from the 18th and 19th centuries, often associated with small farms or holdings in rural areas of western Norway.

One of the earliest documented individuals with the surname was Nils Aarseth, a merchant and ship owner from Ålesund who lived from 1789 to 1856. He was known for his extensive trading activities along the Norwegian coast and played a significant role in the local economy.

In the late 19th century, Olav Aarseth (1867-1928) became a prominent figure in the Norwegian labor movement. He was a founding member of the Norwegian Labor Party and served as a member of the Storting (Norwegian parliament) from 1906 to 1918.

Another notable individual was Ingrid Aarseth (1901-1987), a Norwegian artist and sculptor known for her avant-garde style and abstract works. She was a pioneering figure in the modernist art movement in Norway and had several successful exhibitions in Oslo and other Scandinavian cities.

Espen Aarseth (born 1965) is a contemporary Norwegian scholar and author, best known for his contributions to the field of digital media and game studies. He has written extensively on the theory and analysis of video games and has been a professor at the University of Copenhagen since 2003.

While the surname Aarseth has its roots in Norway, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora communities. However, the name remains most prevalent in its country of origin, where it continues to be associated with the historical traditions and rural landscapes of western Norway.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Aarseth

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Aarseth.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Aarseth was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Aarseth was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Aarseth, please contact us.

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