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

Helgeson, 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 Helgeson surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Helgeson in America

Helgeson is the 9212th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Helgeson surname appeared 3,537 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 Helgeson.

We can also compare 2010 data for Helgeson 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 Helgeson

The surname Helgeson originated in Scandinavia, particularly in Norway and Sweden. It is derived from the Old Norse personal name Helgi, which means "holy" or "blessed." The suffix "-son" was added to denote that the person was the son of someone named Helgi.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 13th century in Norway. It was common for people to take on surnames based on their father's name during this time period. As such, the name Helgeson likely emerged as a way to identify the sons of men named Helgi.

In the 14th century, the Helgeson name appeared in various medieval records and manuscripts from Norway and Sweden. For example, a man named Helge Helgeson was mentioned in a legal document from Bergen, Norway, dated 1349.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Helgeson became more widespread in Scandinavia as people began to adopt fixed surnames. It was particularly common in the western regions of Norway, such as Hordaland and Rogaland.

One notable person with the surname Helgeson was Rasmus Helgeson, a Norwegian farmer and politician who lived from 1795 to 1874. He served as a member of the Storting, the Norwegian parliament, representing the county of Hordaland.

Another prominent individual was Helge Helgeson, a Swedish explorer and author who lived from 1857 to 1924. He is known for his travels in Africa and his published works detailing his experiences.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many Scandinavians immigrated to North America, including those with the surname Helgeson. One such individual was Lars Helgeson, a Norwegian immigrant who settled in Minnesota in the 1880s and became a successful farmer.

Another notable figure was Ingrid Helgeson, a Swedish-American author and playwright who lived from 1895 to 1978. She wrote several books and plays that explored the experiences of Swedish immigrants in the United States.

Finally, Erling Helgeson was a Norwegian-American artist who lived from 1908 to 1992. He was known for his paintings depicting the landscapes and rural life of Minnesota, where he spent much of his career.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Helgeson

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

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

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

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