2000
#144,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bennetsen
A patronymic surname meaning "son of Bennet", derived from the medieval given name Bennet.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Bennetsen. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bennetsen 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Bennetsen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bennetsen, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bennetsen
The surname Bennetsen is believed to have originated in Denmark during the medieval period. It is a patronymic name, meaning it was derived from the name of the father or ancestor. The name likely stems from the personal name Benedikt or Bennet, which itself comes from the Latin name Benedictus, meaning "blessed."
In its earliest forms, the surname was likely written as Bennetsen or Bennetsøn, with the "-sen" or "-søn" suffix indicating "son of." This naming convention was common in Scandinavian countries, where patronymic surnames were widely used.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bennetsen can be found in the Danish Census Book of 1645, where a man named Hans Bennetsen is listed as a resident of Copenhagen. This suggests that the surname was in use by at least the mid-17th century.
Another notable early bearer of the name was Jens Bennetsen Arnasen, a Danish astronomer and mathematician who lived from 1622 to 1675. He is known for his contributions to the study of the motion of the planets and the calculation of eclipses.
In the 18th century, a man named Peder Bennetsen (1705-1779) was a prominent merchant and ship owner in the town of Skagen, Denmark. He played a significant role in the development of the local fishing industry and was a respected figure in the community.
During the 19th century, the Bennetsen name appeared in various records and documents throughout Denmark. One example is Hans Christian Bennetsen (1818-1892), a Danish painter and illustrator who was known for his landscape paintings and depictions of rural life.
Another notable bearer of the name was Anders Bennetsen (1841-1912), a Danish politician and lawyer who served as the Minister of Justice for Denmark from 1901 to 1905.
While the surname Bennetsen is most commonly associated with Denmark, it has also been found in other Scandinavian countries, such as Norway and Sweden, likely due to migration and intermarriage between these regions over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bennetsen
Among Census respondents with the surname Bennetsen, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Bennetsen 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 Bennetsen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.8% · 101
- Hispanic or Latino8.2% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bennetsen
Bennetsen 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
#132,206
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
+23 bearers (+21.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 12,702 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-18 bearers (-14.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 17,240 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #144,908 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #132,206 | 128 | 0.04 | +23 bearers (+21.9%) | Up 12,702 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -18 bearers (-14.1%) | Down 17,240 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 Bennetsen 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 | #132,206 | #149,446 | -13.0% |
| Count | 128 | 110 | -14.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bennetsen bearers went from 128 to 110 (-14.1% change). The surname moved down 17,240 positions in the national ranking, going from #132,206 to #149,446.
FAQ
Bennetsen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bennetsen?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Bennetsen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Bennetsen?
Bennetsen ranks #149,446 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 110 people with the surname Bennetsen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), 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 Bennetsen.
Has Bennetsen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bennetsen went from 128 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 18 (-14.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #132,206 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Bennetsen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bennetsen, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.2%). 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 Bennetsen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bennetsen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.8%), Hispanic (8.2%). 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 Bennetsen (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 Bennetsen mean?
A patronymic surname meaning "son of Bennet", derived from the medieval given name Bennet. 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 Bennetsen (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 Americans have the surname Bennetsen?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.