2000
#10,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,859
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.06
Rare Last name
Eriksen
A patronymic surname of Scandinavian origin, meaning "son of Erik."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,358 Americans carry the last name Eriksen. That puts it at #10,465 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.98 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 102,071 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Eriksen 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Eriksen with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.4K
1 in 102,071
Census rank
#10,465
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,928 bearers of the surname Eriksen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.98 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10465th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Eriksen, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Eriksen
The surname Eriksen originated in Scandinavia, particularly in Denmark and Norway, during the medieval period. It is a patronymic surname, derived from the Old Norse personal name Erik, which means "eternal ruler" or "ever-powerful." The name Erik itself is a combination of the Old Norse elements "ai," meaning "always" or "eternal," and "rik," meaning "ruler" or "mighty."
Eriksen is a common surname in Denmark and Norway, as well as in other Scandinavian countries. It is also found in areas with significant Scandinavian immigration, such as the United States, Canada, and Australia. The earliest known instances of the surname Eriksen can be traced back to the 13th and 14th centuries in historical records and documents from Denmark and Norway.
In the Icelandic Landnámabók, a medieval manuscript chronicling the settlement of Iceland, there are references to individuals with the name Erikssen or Eriksen. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname was Erik Eriksen, a Norwegian nobleman who lived in the late 13th century and was mentioned in the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, a collection of medieval Norwegian diplomas and documents.
Another notable individual with the surname Eriksen was Hans Eriksen (1573-1638), a Danish astronomer and mathematician who made significant contributions to the study of astronomy and mathematics during the early 17th century. He is best known for his work on improving the accuracy of astronomical observations and for his development of new mathematical techniques for calculating planetary positions.
In the 18th century, Christian Eriksen (1714-1772) was a Danish naval officer and explorer who led several expeditions to Greenland and the Arctic regions. He is credited with mapping and charting large areas of the Greenland coast and contributing to the knowledge of the region's geography and natural resources.
Another notable figure with the surname Eriksen was Knud Eriksen (1858-1938), a Norwegian explorer and whaler who participated in several Antarctic expeditions in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was a member of the Børge Vik expedition to the Antarctic Peninsula in 1893-1895 and later led his own whaling expeditions to the Ross Sea region.
In more recent times, one of the most famous individuals with the surname Eriksen is Christian Eriksen, a Danish professional football player born in 1992. He has represented Denmark at the international level and has played for several top European clubs, including Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Eriksen
Among Census respondents with the surname Eriksen, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Eriksen 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 Eriksen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 2,686
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 117
- Two or more races2.5% · 74
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 32
- Black or African American0.4% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Eriksen
Eriksen 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
#10,663
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,000
+141 bearers (+4.9%)
Per 100,000 1.02
Rank movement Down 336 places
2020
#10,465
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,928
-72 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.98
Rank movement Up 198 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,327 | 2,859 | 1.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,663 | 3,000 | 1.02 | +141 bearers (+4.9%) | Down 336 places |
| 2020 | #10,465 | 2,928 | 0.98 | -72 bearers (-2.4%) | Up 198 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 Eriksen 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 | #10,663 | #10,465 | 1.9% |
| Count | 3,000 | 2,928 | -2.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.02 | 0.98 | -4.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Eriksen bearers went from 3,000 to 2,928 (-2.4% change). The surname moved up 198 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,663 to #10,465.
FAQ
Eriksen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Eriksen?
Name Census estimates that about 3,358 living Americans carry the surname Eriksen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 102,071 residents.
How common is Eriksen?
Eriksen ranks #10,465 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.98 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,928 people with the surname Eriksen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,358), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.98 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.98 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Eriksen.
Has Eriksen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Eriksen went from 3,000 recorded bearers to 2,928. That is a decrease of 72 (-2.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,663 to #10,465.
What does the Census say about the background of Eriksen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Eriksen, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) 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 Eriksen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (2,686 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Eriksen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Hispanic (4.0%), 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 Eriksen (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 Eriksen mean?
A patronymic surname of Scandinavian origin, meaning "son of Erik." 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 Eriksen (0.98 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 Eriksen?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Eriksen, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.