2000
#136,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Helgoe
A surname originating from a farm or area in Norway.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 116 Americans carry the last name Helgoe. That puts it at #155,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,954,779 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Helgoe 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
116
1 in 2,954,779
Census rank
#155,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
101
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 101 bearers of the surname Helgoe in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Helgoe, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.9%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Helgoe
The surname HELGOE has its origins in Norway, dating back to the Viking era around the 9th century. It is derived from the Old Norse words "helga" meaning "holy" and "øy" meaning "island." This suggests that the name may have originated from a holy or sacred island in Norway where early bearers of the name resided.
The earliest known records of the HELGOE surname appear in the Icelandic Landnámabók (Book of Settlements), which chronicles the settlement of Iceland by Norwegian Vikings in the late 9th and early 10th centuries. The name is mentioned in connection with settlements in the northwest region of Iceland, particularly on the Helguøy (Holy Island) off the Westfjords peninsula.
In the 11th century, the HELGOE name is found in the Norwegian Diplomatarium, a collection of medieval documents and charters. One notable entry from 1066 mentions a Thorvald Helgoe, who was a landowner and chieftain in the Trondheim region of central Norway.
During the Middle Ages, variations of the spelling emerged, such as Helgö, Helgøe, and Helghoe, reflecting the linguistic changes and regional dialects of Scandinavia. In the 13th century, a Danish clergyman named Niels Helgoe (c. 1210-1281) was appointed Bishop of Roskilde, indicating the spread of the name to Denmark.
In the 15th century, the HELGOE surname appears in records from the Shetland Islands, where a family with this name held land and influence. One prominent figure was Magnus Helgoe (c. 1425-1489), a wealthy landowner and merchant who played a role in the islands' governance under Scottish rule.
Another notable individual was the Norwegian explorer and whaler Svend Helgoe (c. 1570-1638), who is credited with discovering the island of Jan Mayen in the Arctic Ocean in 1614. His voyages and discoveries contributed to the expansion of Norwegian whaling and exploration in the northern regions.
Over the centuries, the HELGOE surname has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including farmers, merchants, clergy, and seafarers. While not a widely common name, it has persisted and spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora communities of Scandinavian descent.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Helgoe
Among Census respondents with the surname Helgoe, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.9%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Helgoe 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 Helgoe surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.1% · 92
- Hispanic or Latino7.9% · 8
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Helgoe
Helgoe 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
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-2 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,564 places
2020
#155,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-10 bearers (-9.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 6,923 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #136,783 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.8%) | Down 11,564 places |
| 2020 | #155,270 | 101 | 0.03 | -10 bearers (-9.0%) | Down 6,923 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 Helgoe 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 | #148,347 | #155,270 | -4.7% |
| Count | 111 | 101 | -9.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -15.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Helgoe bearers went from 111 to 101 (-9.0% change). The surname moved down 6,923 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #155,270.
FAQ
Helgoe surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Helgoe?
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the surname Helgoe. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,954,779 residents.
How common is Helgoe?
Helgoe ranks #155,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 101 people with the surname Helgoe. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (116), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Helgoe.
Has Helgoe become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Helgoe went from 111 recorded bearers to 101. That is a decrease of 10 (-9.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #148,347 to #155,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Helgoe?
Among Census respondents with the surname Helgoe, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.9%) and Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Helgoe in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (92 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Helgoe appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.1%), Hispanic (7.9%), Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Helgoe (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 Helgoe mean?
A surname originating from a farm or area in Norway. 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 Helgoe (0.03 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 share the surname Helgoe?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.