2000
#3,139
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,530
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.90
Uncommon Last name
Christenson
A patronymic surname derived from the given name Christian, meaning "follower of Christ" or "son of Christian."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,475 Americans carry the last name Christenson. That puts it at #3,480 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.35 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 29,870 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Christenson 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
11K
1 in 29,870
Census rank
#3,480
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
10K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,007 bearers of the surname Christenson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.35 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3480th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Christenson, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Christenson
The surname Christenson originated in Scandinavian countries, primarily Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, during the medieval period. It is a patronymic surname, derived from the personal name "Christian" combined with the possessive suffix "-son," meaning "son of Christian."
Christenson is a variant spelling of the more common Scandinavian surname Christiansen. The name likely emerged in the 12th or 13th century, as Christianity spread throughout the region and the name Christian became popular. It was initially used to identify the son of a man named Christian.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Christenson surname can be found in the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, a collection of Norwegian medieval documents dating back to the 13th century. The name appears in various spellings, such as Christensson, Christenssøn, and Christenszøn.
In the 16th century, a Danish landowner named Christenson Skjelderup was documented as owning a large estate in the town of Skien, Norway. This suggests that the name had become established among the upper classes by that time.
Historically, the Christenson surname has been associated with several notable individuals. One of the earliest was Rasmus Christenson (1587-1670), a Norwegian clergyman and bishop of the Diocese of Stavanger. Another notable figure was Peder Christenson (1591-1662), a Danish astronomer and mathematician who made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics.
In the 19th century, a Swedish-American businessman named John A. Christenson (1828-1904) played a prominent role in the development of the early Chicago meat-packing industry. He co-founded the renowned Christenson & Mendsen Company, which became one of the largest meat-processing firms in the United States.
Another notable bearer of the Christenson name was Sigurd Christenson (1845-1919), a Norwegian-American educator and pioneer in the field of deaf education. He founded the Minnesota School for the Deaf and played a crucial role in advocating for the rights and education of deaf individuals.
The Christenson surname has also been borne by several prominent artists and writers. One example is the American painter and printmaker Philip Christenson (1913-1994), known for his abstract expressionist works. Additionally, the Norwegian-American author Ole Edvart Christenson (1888-1969) gained recognition for his literary contributions, including the novel "The Green Bough."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Christenson
Among Census respondents with the surname Christenson, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Christenson 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 Christenson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3% · 9,232
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 326
- Two or more races2.5% · 252
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 98
- Black or African American0.6% · 56
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 43
Timeline
Historical Census data for Christenson
Christenson 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
#3,346
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,707
+177 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 3.63
Rank movement Down 207 places
2020
#3,480
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,007
-700 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 3.35
Rank movement Down 134 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,139 | 10,530 | 3.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,346 | 10,707 | 3.63 | +177 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 207 places |
| 2020 | #3,480 | 10,007 | 3.35 | -700 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 134 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 Christenson 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 | #3,346 | #3,480 | -4.0% |
| Count | 10,707 | 10,007 | -6.5% |
| Per 100K | 3.63 | 3.35 | -7.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Christenson bearers went from 10,707 to 10,007 (-6.5% change). The surname moved down 134 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,346 to #3,480.
FAQ
Christenson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Christenson?
Name Census estimates that about 11,475 living Americans carry the surname Christenson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 29,870 residents.
How common is Christenson?
Christenson ranks #3,480 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.35 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,007 people with the surname Christenson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,475), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.35 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.35 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Christenson.
Has Christenson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Christenson went from 10,707 recorded bearers to 10,007. That is a decrease of 700 (-6.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,346 to #3,480.
What does the Census say about the background of Christenson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Christenson, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Christenson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (9,232 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Christenson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.3%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Christenson (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 Christenson mean?
A patronymic surname derived from the given name Christian, meaning "follower of Christ" or "son of Christian." 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 Christenson (3.35 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 surname Christenson?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.