2000
#120,330
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 133
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Alsen
A surname derived from the Old English words "ald" and "sen," meaning an elder or elderly person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 116 Americans carry the last name Alsen. That puts it at #155,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,954,779 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Alsen surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
116
1 in 2,954,779
Census rank
#155,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
101
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 101 bearers of the surname Alsen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Alsen, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Alsen
The surname Alsen has its origins in Denmark, where it first emerged in the 14th century. It is believed to have derived from the Danish word "als," meaning "alder tree," and is likely a topographic name given to someone who lived near a grove of alder trees.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Danish census records of 1381, which list a Hans Alsen residing in the town of Ribe on the Jutland peninsula. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region by that time.
Another early reference to the name appears in the 16th-century manuscript "Chronicon Holsatiae," which mentions a nobleman named Detlev Alsen who served as a courtier to the Duke of Holstein in the late 1500s.
The name Alsen is also closely associated with the island of Als, located off the coast of southern Denmark. It is possible that some bearers of the surname may have originated from this island or had ancestors who lived there.
Notable individuals with the surname Alsen include:
1. Johan Alsen (1573-1638), a Danish theologian and author of the influential work "Compendium Doctrinae Christianae."
2. Peder Alsen (1610-1679), a Danish merchant and ship owner who played a significant role in the early maritime trade between Denmark and the West Indies.
3. Kirsten Alsen (1698-1781), a Danish artist renowned for her intricate embroidery work, which can be seen in several churches and museums across Denmark.
4. Hans Christian Alsen (1803-1876), a Danish politician and member of the Constituent Assembly that drafted the Danish Constitution of 1849.
5. Niels Alsen (1828-1902), a Danish botanist and explorer who led several expeditions to Greenland and contributed significantly to the study of Arctic flora.
While the surname Alsen is predominantly found in Denmark and other Scandinavian countries, it has also spread to other parts of the world through migration and immigration over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Alsen
Among Census respondents with the surname Alsen, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Alsen bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Alsen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.1% · 90
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.0% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 3
- Black or African American2.0% · 2
- Two or more races2.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Alsen
Alsen appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-29 bearers (-21.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 35,714 places
2020
#155,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-3 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 774 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #120,330 | 133 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | -29 bearers (-21.8%) | Down 35,714 places |
| 2020 | #155,270 | 101 | 0.03 | -3 bearers (-2.9%) | Up 774 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Alsen surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #156,044 | #155,270 | 0.5% |
| Count | 104 | 101 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -15.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Alsen bearers went from 104 to 101 (-2.9% change). The surname moved up 774 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #155,270.
FAQ
Alsen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Alsen?
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the surname Alsen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,954,779 residents.
How common is Alsen?
Alsen ranks #155,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 101 people with the surname Alsen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (116), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Alsen.
Has Alsen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Alsen went from 104 recorded bearers to 101. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #155,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Alsen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Alsen, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.0%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Alsen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.1% (90 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Alsen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.0%), Hispanic (3.0%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Alsen (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Alsen mean?
A surname derived from the Old English words "ald" and "sen," meaning an elder or elderly person. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Alsen (0.03 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Alsen?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Alsen, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.