2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Lorentsen
A surname derived from the given name Lorentz or Laurentius meaning "from Laurentum".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Lorentsen. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lorentsen 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Lorentsen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lorentsen, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.7%) and Two or More Races (5.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lorentsen
The surname LORENTSEN is of Danish origin, originating from the region of Jutland in the late medieval period. It is derived from the Old Norse personal name Laurentius, which itself is derived from the Latin name Laurentius, meaning "from Laurentum". The name Laurentius was commonly used throughout Scandinavia during the Middle Ages.
The earliest recorded instances of the LORENTSEN surname date back to the late 15th century in various Danish parish records and census documents. It is believed that the name was first used as a patronymic, with the "-sen" suffix indicating "son of", referring to the son of someone named Lorent or Laurentius.
While the LORENTSEN name is relatively uncommon in historical records, there are a few notable individuals who bore this surname in the past. One such person was Hans Lorentsen (1532-1604), a Danish Protestant reformer and bishop of Ribe. Another was Jens Lorentsen (1550-1623), a Danish merchant and ship owner who played a role in the establishment of the Danish East India Company.
In the 17th century, the LORENTSEN surname is found in several Dutch records, likely due to the close ties between the Netherlands and Denmark during that time period. One notable figure was Willem Lorentsen (1628-1677), a Dutch Golden Age painter known for his landscapes and marine paintings.
Moving into the 18th century, the LORENTSEN name appears in Norwegian records, possibly due to the shared linguistic and cultural roots between Norway and Denmark. One example is Hans Lorentsen (1718-1795), a Norwegian farmer and landowner from the Telemark region.
In the 19th century, the LORENTSEN surname continued to be found in Danish, Norwegian, and Dutch records, with some individuals emigrating to other parts of the world, such as North America and Australia. One notable figure from this period was Peter Lorentsen (1827-1901), a Danish-American journalist and publisher who founded the Danish-language newspaper Fremad in the United States.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lorentsen
Among Census respondents with the surname Lorentsen, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.7%) and Two or More Races (5.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Lorentsen 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 Lorentsen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.5% · 87
- Hispanic or Latino8.7% · 9
- Two or more races5.8% · 6
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lorentsen
Lorentsen 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
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+4 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,303 places
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-15 bearers (-12.7%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 13,042 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 5,303 places |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | -15 bearers (-12.7%) | Down 13,042 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 Lorentsen 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 | #141,140 | #154,182 | -9.2% |
| Count | 118 | 103 | -12.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lorentsen bearers went from 118 to 103 (-12.7% change). The surname moved down 13,042 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #154,182.
FAQ
Lorentsen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lorentsen?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Lorentsen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Lorentsen?
Lorentsen ranks #154,182 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 103 people with the surname Lorentsen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), 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 Lorentsen.
Has Lorentsen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lorentsen went from 118 recorded bearers to 103. That is a decrease of 15 (-12.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Lorentsen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lorentsen, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.7%) and Two or More Races (5.8%). 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 Lorentsen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.5% (87 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lorentsen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.5%), Hispanic (8.7%), Two or More Races (5.8%). 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 Lorentsen (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 Lorentsen mean?
A surname derived from the given name Lorentz or Laurentius meaning "from Laurentum". 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 Lorentsen (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 Americans have the surname Lorentsen?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.