2000
#51,809
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 377
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.14
Very Rare Last name
Eskildsen
A surname of Danish origin derived from the given name Eskild.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 416 Americans carry the last name Eskildsen. That puts it at #60,024 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.12 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 823,929 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Eskildsen 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
416
1 in 823,929
Census rank
#60,024
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
363
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 363 bearers of the surname Eskildsen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.12 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 60024th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Eskildsen, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Eskildsen
The surname Eskildsen is of Danish origin, originating in the medieval period. It is a patronymic surname, meaning it was derived from the given name of the father or an ancestor. In this case, Eskildsen is derived from the Old Norse masculine name Eskil, which is a contracted form of the name Eiskell or Ishkell.
The name Eskil is thought to be composed of the Old Norse elements "is" meaning ice and "kill" meaning a stream or brook, potentially referring to a frozen stream or icy water source. Eskil was a relatively common name among Scandinavian populations during the Viking Age and early medieval era.
One of the earliest recorded references to the surname Eskildsen can be found in the Danish Census Records of 1676, where a man named Jens Eskildsen is listed as residing in the town of Odense on the island of Funen.
In the 16th century, a notable figure named Christen Eskildsen Tundeld (1495-1554) served as a prominent Lutheran minister and educator in Denmark. He was a key figure in the Danish Reformation and played a role in the translation of the Bible into Danish.
Another individual of historical significance bearing this surname was Jens Eskildsen (1600-1673), a Danish merchant and shipowner who was involved in the early colonization efforts of the Danish West Indies (now the U.S. Virgin Islands).
In the 19th century, a Danish artist named Johan Eskildsen (1817-1870) gained recognition for his landscape paintings depicting scenes from his native Jutland region.
A more recent example is Joakim Eskildsen (born 1971), a contemporary Danish photographer known for his documentary-style work and portraiture, particularly his acclaimed book "The Roma Journeys."
It is important to note that while the surname Eskildsen originated in Denmark, it has since spread to other regions due to migration and can be found among individuals of Danish descent in various parts of the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Eskildsen
Among Census respondents with the surname Eskildsen, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Eskildsen 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 Eskildsen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.5% · 325
- Two or more races4.1% · 15
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 7
- Black or African American0.6% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Eskildsen
Eskildsen 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
#53,204
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 389
+12 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 0.13
Rank movement Down 1,395 places
2020
#60,024
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 363
-26 bearers (-6.7%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Down 6,820 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #51,809 | 377 | 0.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #53,204 | 389 | 0.13 | +12 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 1,395 places |
| 2020 | #60,024 | 363 | 0.12 | -26 bearers (-6.7%) | Down 6,820 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 Eskildsen 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 | #53,204 | #60,024 | -12.8% |
| Count | 389 | 363 | -6.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.13 | 0.12 | -6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Eskildsen bearers went from 389 to 363 (-6.7% change). The surname moved down 6,820 positions in the national ranking, going from #53,204 to #60,024.
FAQ
Eskildsen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Eskildsen?
Name Census estimates that about 416 living Americans carry the surname Eskildsen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 823,929 residents.
How common is Eskildsen?
Eskildsen ranks #60,024 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.12 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 363 people with the surname Eskildsen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (416), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.12 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.12 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 Eskildsen.
Has Eskildsen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Eskildsen went from 389 recorded bearers to 363. That is a decrease of 26 (-6.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #53,204 to #60,024.
What does the Census say about the background of Eskildsen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Eskildsen, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Eskildsen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.5% (325 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Eskildsen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.5%), Two or More Races (4.1%), Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Eskildsen (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 Eskildsen mean?
A surname of Danish origin derived from the given name Eskild. 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 Eskildsen (0.12 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 Eskildsen?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.