2000
#33,020
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 654
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.24
Very Rare Last name
Korhonen
A Finnish surname derived from the word "korho", meaning a hollowed-out tree or log cabin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 682 Americans carry the last name Korhonen. That puts it at #39,820 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.20 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 502,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Korhonen 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
682
1 in 502,572
Census rank
#39,820
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
595
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 595 bearers of the surname Korhonen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.20 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 39820th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Korhonen, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Korhonen
The surname Korhonen is of Finnish origin, originating in the region of Finland around the 17th century. It is derived from the Finnish word "korho," which means a small, densely wooded area or thicket. The name likely referred to someone who lived near or worked in such an area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Korhonen can be found in the parish records of Kaarina, a municipality in Southwest Finland, dating back to the late 1600s. The name was initially spelled as "Korhoin" or "Korhoi," later evolving into its modern form.
In the 19th century, the Korhonen surname gained prominence with the birth of Johan Alfred Korhonen (1859-1926), a Finnish politician and journalist who served as a member of the Parliament of Finland and was a vocal advocate for workers' rights.
Another notable figure bearing the Korhonen name was Arvi Korhonen (1892-1967), a Finnish architect who designed several landmarks in Helsinki, including the Olympic Stadium, which hosted the 1952 Summer Olympics.
The name Korhonen can also be traced to the village of Korhoinen, located in the municipality of Kouvola, in southern Finland. It is believed that some individuals from this village adopted the name Korhonen as their surname.
In the realm of literature, Lauri Korhonen (1881-1967) was a prominent Finnish author and poet, known for his works that captured the rural life and landscapes of Finland.
Another influential figure was Pekka Korhonen (1910-1980), a Finnish diplomat and politician who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Finland from 1970 to 1971.
While the Korhonen surname has its roots in Finland, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and diaspora communities. However, its origins can be traced back to the densely forested areas of Finland, where the name likely originated from those who lived or worked in the "korho" thickets.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Korhonen
Among Census respondents with the surname Korhonen, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Korhonen 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 Korhonen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.3% · 537
- Two or more races3.9% · 23
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 4
- Black or African American0.5% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Korhonen
Korhonen 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
#34,835
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 648
-6 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.22
Rank movement Down 1,815 places
2020
#39,820
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 595
-53 bearers (-8.2%)
Per 100,000 0.20
Rank movement Down 4,985 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #33,020 | 654 | 0.24 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #34,835 | 648 | 0.22 | -6 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 1,815 places |
| 2020 | #39,820 | 595 | 0.20 | -53 bearers (-8.2%) | Down 4,985 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 Korhonen 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 | #34,835 | #39,820 | -14.3% |
| Count | 648 | 595 | -8.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.22 | 0.20 | -9.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Korhonen bearers went from 648 to 595 (-8.2% change). The surname moved down 4,985 positions in the national ranking, going from #34,835 to #39,820.
FAQ
Korhonen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Korhonen?
Name Census estimates that about 682 living Americans carry the surname Korhonen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 502,572 residents.
How common is Korhonen?
Korhonen ranks #39,820 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.20 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 595 people with the surname Korhonen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (682), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.20 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 Korhonen.
Has Korhonen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Korhonen went from 648 recorded bearers to 595. That is a decrease of 53 (-8.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #34,835 to #39,820.
What does the Census say about the background of Korhonen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Korhonen, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Korhonen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.3% (537 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Korhonen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.3%), Two or More Races (3.9%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Korhonen (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 Korhonen mean?
A Finnish surname derived from the word "korho", meaning a hollowed-out tree or log cabin. 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 Korhonen (0.20 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 Americans have the surname Korhonen?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.