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

Larsen, 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 Larsen surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Larsen in America

Larsen is the 606th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Larsen surname appeared 55,960 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 19 people would have the surname Larsen.

We can also compare 2010 data for Larsen 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 Larsen

The surname Larsen is of Danish origin and is a patronymic name, derived from the personal name Lars. Lars itself is a Scandinavian form of the name Laurentius, which is derived from the Latin name Laurentius, meaning "from Laurentum" or "man from Laurentum". Laurentum was an ancient city in Italy, located near the modern-day town of Tor Pignattara.

The name Larsen first appeared in Denmark during the Middle Ages, when patronymic surnames became common. It indicated that the bearer was the son of a man named Lars. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in Danish parish records from the 16th and 17th centuries.

One notable historical figure with the surname Larsen was Hans Larsen Mink (1533-1593), a Danish admiral and naval hero who fought against the Swedish navy during the Northern Seven Years' War. He is credited with winning several crucial battles and preventing a Swedish invasion of Denmark.

Another prominent Larsen was Jacob Larsen (1828-1918), a Norwegian-American artist who is considered one of the most influential painters of the Golden Age of American landscape painting. His works, such as "The White Mountains" and "Autumn in New England", are highly regarded for their accurate depictions of the American wilderness.

In the literary world, Karen Larsen (1899-1988) was a Danish author and playwright known for her novels and short stories that explored themes of feminism and social issues. Her works, including "The Staircase" and "The Burning Bush", were widely acclaimed and translated into several languages.

Jens Larsen (1902-1988) was a Danish architect who played a significant role in the development of functionalist architecture in Denmark. He designed several notable buildings, including the Bellahøj Housing Estate in Copenhagen, which is considered a masterpiece of Danish functionalist architecture.

Knud Larsen (1865-1922) was a Danish explorer and naval officer who led several expeditions to Greenland and the Arctic regions. He is best known for his successful mapping and exploration of the northeast coast of Greenland, which was previously uncharted territory.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Larsen

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

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

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

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