2010
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Bendiksen
A Danish surname meaning "son of Benedict" or "son of Bendik".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Bendiksen. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bendiksen 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Bendiksen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bendiksen, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bendiksen
The surname Bendiksen originated in Norway and derives from the given name Bendikt, the Scandinavian form of Benedict, which comes from the Latin Benedictus meaning "blessed". This name became popular in Norway after the arrival of Christianity in the 11th century.
In its earliest forms, the surname was rendered as Bendictsson or Benigtsøn, indicating "son of Bendict/Benigt". Over time, the spelling evolved to its modern Norwegian form of Bendiksen. This surname pattern follows the old Nordic naming tradition where a person's last name denoted their patrilineal ancestry.
One of the earliest recorded instances of this surname appears in the 1593 census of Tønsberg, where a man named Lauritz Bendiktssøn is listed. The name also crops up in various 16th and 17th century church records from various parishes across Norway.
A notable early bearer was Rasmus Bendiksen (c.1525-1596), a Norwegian priest who served as the vicar of Vestre Slidre parish in Oppland county. He is mentioned in several contemporary sources for his role in promoting the Reformation in Norway.
Another historically significant individual was Hans Bendiksen (1787-1857), a Norwegian merchant and ship owner from Arendal. He founded one of Norway's earliest steamship companies which operated coastal routes.
In the 19th century, Olaf Bendiksen (1833-1905) was a Norwegian-American Lutheran minister who immigrated to the United States in 1861. He served parishes in Wisconsin and helped establish several Lutheran congregations.
Fredrik Bendiksen (1876-1962) was a Norwegian sailor and explorer who took part in several expeditions to the Arctic regions in the early 20th century, including Roald Amundsen's second expedition to the Antarctic.
More recently, Sven Bendiksen (1907-1998) was a Norwegian businessperson who founded the company Bendiksen Shipping in Oslo, which became one of Norway's largest private shipping firms during his lifetime.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bendiksen
Among Census respondents with the surname Bendiksen, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Bendiksen 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 Bendiksen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.2% · 100
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bendiksen
Bendiksen appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
+4 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,723 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+4.0%) | Up 6,723 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 Bendiksen 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 | #159,712 | #152,989 | 4.2% |
| Count | 101 | 105 | 4.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 17.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bendiksen bearers went from 101 to 105 (+4.0% change). The surname moved up 6,723 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #152,989.
FAQ
Bendiksen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bendiksen?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Bendiksen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Bendiksen?
Bendiksen ranks #152,989 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 105 people with the surname Bendiksen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Bendiksen.
Has Bendiksen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bendiksen went from 101 recorded bearers to 105. That is an increase of 4 (+4.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Bendiksen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bendiksen, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Bendiksen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.2% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bendiksen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.2%), Hispanic (1.9%), Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Bendiksen (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 Bendiksen mean?
A Danish surname meaning "son of Benedict" or "son of Bendik". 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 Bendiksen (0.04 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 many people have the last name Bendiksen?
If you just want to know how common the surname Bendiksen is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.