2000
#8,528
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,559
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.32
Rare Last name
Helgeson
Son of Helge, a Scandinavian name derived from the Old Norse elements heilagr, meaning "holy," and gesinn, meaning "hostage."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,773 Americans carry the last name Helgeson. That puts it at #9,459 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 90,844 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Helgeson 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
3.8K
1 in 90,844
Census rank
#9,459
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,290 bearers of the surname Helgeson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9459th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Helgeson, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Helgeson
Among Census respondents with the surname Helgeson, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Helgeson 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 Helgeson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.6% · 3,081
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 83
- Two or more races2.3% · 75
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 24
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 19
- Black or African American0.2% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Helgeson
Helgeson 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
#9,212
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,537
-22 bearers (-0.6%)
Per 100,000 1.20
Rank movement Down 684 places
2020
#9,459
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,290
-247 bearers (-7.0%)
Per 100,000 1.10
Rank movement Down 247 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,528 | 3,559 | 1.32 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,212 | 3,537 | 1.20 | -22 bearers (-0.6%) | Down 684 places |
| 2020 | #9,459 | 3,290 | 1.10 | -247 bearers (-7.0%) | Down 247 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 Helgeson 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 | #9,212 | #9,459 | -2.7% |
| Count | 3,537 | 3,290 | -7.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.20 | 1.10 | -8.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Helgeson bearers went from 3,537 to 3,290 (-7.0% change). The surname moved down 247 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,212 to #9,459.
FAQ
Helgeson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Helgeson?
Name Census estimates that about 3,773 living Americans carry the surname Helgeson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 90,844 residents.
How common is Helgeson?
Helgeson ranks #9,459 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.10 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 3,290 people with the surname Helgeson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,773), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.10 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 Helgeson.
Has Helgeson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Helgeson went from 3,537 recorded bearers to 3,290. That is a decrease of 247 (-7.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,212 to #9,459.
What does the Census say about the background of Helgeson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Helgeson, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Helgeson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (3,081 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Helgeson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.6%), Hispanic (2.5%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Helgeson (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 Helgeson mean?
Son of Helge, a Scandinavian name derived from the Old Norse elements heilagr, meaning "holy," and gesinn, meaning "hostage." 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 Helgeson (1.10 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 last name Helgeson?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Helgeson on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.