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

Eggen, 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 Eggen surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Eggen in America

Eggen is the 17239th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Eggen surname appeared 1,643 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Eggen.

We can also compare 2010 data for Eggen to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Eggen

The surname Eggen is of Norwegian origin, with the earliest records tracing back to the 13th century. It is believed to have originated from the Old Norse word "egg," meaning "edge" or "ridge," often referring to a person living near a sharp ridge or cliff.

One of the earliest known references to the Eggen name can be found in the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, a collection of medieval Norwegian documents. In 1283, a man named Halvard Eggen is mentioned as a witness in a land dispute in the region of Oppland.

The name Eggen was particularly prevalent in the western regions of Norway, including the counties of Hordaland, Rogaland, and Sogn og Fjordane. It is also believed to have derived from certain place names, such as the farm Eggen in Voss, Hordaland, which was first mentioned in historical records in the 16th century.

Among the notable individuals bearing the Eggen surname throughout history is Nils Eggen (1901-1976), a Norwegian politician and member of the Storting, the supreme legislature of Norway. He served as the Minister of Social Affairs from 1951 to 1963.

Another prominent figure was Arnold Eggen (1869-1952), a Norwegian-American businessman and philanthropist. He founded the Eggen Company, a successful construction firm in Seattle, Washington, and donated generously to various educational and cultural institutions.

In the literary world, Arnljot Eggen (1923-2017) was a celebrated Norwegian poet and novelist. His works, such as "Nattånd" (Night Breath) and "Skrifter i utvalg" (Selected Writings), explored themes of nature, identity, and the human condition.

The name Eggen also has a connection to the Norwegian resistance movement during World War II. Rolf Eggen (1919-1944) was a member of the Norwegian resistance group Milorg and was executed by German forces for his efforts against the occupation.

Another notable individual was Trygve Eggen (1912-1977), a Norwegian football player and manager. He played for the Norwegian national team and later became the manager of various clubs, including Fredrikstad FK and Vålerenga Fotball.

Throughout its history, the Eggen surname has been spelled in various ways, including Egge, Eggan, and Eggin, reflecting regional linguistic variations and spelling conventions of different time periods.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Eggen

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

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 Eggen 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.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Eggen has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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 Eggen was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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