Find out how popular the last name Helseth is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Helseth.
A Norwegian surname meaning "deep valley" or "deep stream".
Helseth, 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 Helseth surname is from the 2010 census data.
Helseth is the 45105th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Helseth surname appeared 475 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 Helseth.
We can also compare 2010 data for Helseth 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.
| 2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | 45105 | 41320 | 8.76% |
| Count | 475 | 497 | -4.53% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.16 | 0.18 | -11.76% |
The surname Helseth is believed to have originated in Norway during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old Norse words "hella" meaning "flat rock" and "setr" meaning "summer pasture" or "mountain dairy farm." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived or worked near a flat rock on a summer pasture or mountain farm.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, a collection of medieval Norwegian diplomas and manuscripts. In a document dated 1345, there is a reference to a person named "Thorstein Helsæt," which is believed to be an early spelling of the surname.
During the 14th and 15th centuries, the name appears to have been concentrated in the western regions of Norway, particularly in the counties of Hordaland and Sogn og Fjordane. This aligns with the name's potential origins as a descriptor of geographic features common in these mountainous coastal areas.
In the 16th century, a man named Arne Helseth (c. 1530-1595) was recorded as a prominent landowner and farmer in the village of Eidfjord, located in the county of Hordaland. His descendants continued to use the surname in the region for several generations.
Another notable figure with the surname was Nils Helseth (1643-1717), who served as a Lutheran pastor in the town of Vossevangen, also in Hordaland. He is known for his theological writings and his work in promoting education in the area.
During the 19th century, the surname Helseth began to appear more frequently in historical records, likely due to increased population and migration. One example is Peder Helseth (1812-1890), a farmer and politician who served as a member of the Norwegian Parliament (Storting) in the mid-1800s, representing the county of Møre og Romsdal.
Another prominent individual with this surname was Ingrid Helseth (1871-1943), a Norwegian-American author and educator. She was born in Telemark, Norway, and later immigrated to the United States, where she worked as a teacher and published several books on Norwegian culture and language.
While the surname Helseth is relatively uncommon globally, it continues to be found primarily in Norway, particularly in the western regions where it likely originated. The name serves as a reminder of the country's rich cultural heritage and the historical connections between surnames and geographic features.
We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Helseth.
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:
For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Helseth was:
| Race/Ethnicity | Percentage | Total Occurrences |
|---|---|---|
| Non-Hispanic White Only | 94.53% | 449 |
| Non-Hispanic Black Only | 0.00% | 0 |
| Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only | (S)% | (S) |
| Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native | (S)% | (S) |
| Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races | 2.32% | 11 |
| Hispanic Origin | 2.53% | 12 |
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 Helseth has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.
| 2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 94.53% | 97.99% | -3.59% |
| Black | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | (S)% | (S)% | (S)% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | (S)% | (S)% | (S)% |
| Two or More Races | 2.32% | (S)% | (S)% |
| Hispanic | 2.53% | (S)% | (S)% |
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 Helseth was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.
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