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

Gormsen, 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 Gormsen surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gormsen in America

Gormsen is the 123796th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gormsen surname appeared 139 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Gormsen.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gormsen 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 Gormsen

The surname GORMSEN originates from Denmark and is first recorded in the late 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old Norse words "gormr" meaning "son" and "sen" meaning "guide" or "leader". This suggests the name may have originally referred to the son of a guide or leader in Viking times.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname GORMSEN appears in the Danish Census of 1589, where a man named Peder Gormsen is listed as residing in the village of Randers in Jutland. Church records from the 17th century also show the name was concentrated in rural areas of northern Denmark.

In the early 1600s, a Thomas Gormsen is recorded as having published a book on Danish folklore and mythology in Copenhagen. This text provides valuable insight into the cultural traditions of the time period the surname originated from.

A notable bearer of the GORMSEN name was Hans Gormsen (1610-1673), a sailor from Aalborg who accompanied an expedition to Greenland in 1636. His detailed logs from this voyage are an important primary source on early Danish exploration of the Arctic regions.

Another historically significant GORMSEN was Anna Sophia Gormsen (1720-1789), a wealthy merchant from Odense who donated substantial funds to establish one of Denmark's first public schools for girls in 1765. Her philanthropy helped advance women's education.

During the 19th century golden age of Danish literature, the poet and playwright Ludvig Gormsen (1835-1909) achieved renown for his volumes of romantic verse and popular satirical plays that commented on contemporary society.

By the late 1800s, records indicate the GORMSEN surname had also spread to parts of Sweden through migration, with families residing in areas like Skåne that bordered Denmark. Overall, GORMSEN remains a relatively uncommon surname originating from the Jutland peninsula of northern Denmark.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gormsen

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

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

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

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