Find out how popular the last name Lykken is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Lykken.
A surname derived from the Norwegian word meaning "good fortune" or "happiness".
Lykken, 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 Lykken surname is from the 2010 census data.
Lykken is the 66754th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Lykken surname appeared 296 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 Lykken.
We can also compare 2010 data for Lykken 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 | 66754 | 66676 | 0.12% |
Count | 296 | 277 | 6.63% |
Proportion per 100k | 0.10 | 0.10 | 0.00% |
The surname LYKKEN originated in Norway, deriving from the Old Norse words "lykka" (luck) and "lykke" (happiness). It likely emerged as a surname in the 13th or 14th century during the medieval period in Norway.
This surname was initially concentrated in the western and southwestern regions of Norway, particularly in areas like Rogaland, Hordaland, and Sogn og Fjordane. The earliest known references to the name can be found in records from these regions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname LYKKEN appears in a 15th-century manuscript from Bergen, Norway, which mentions a person named Eirik Lykken. This document suggests that the name was already in use by that time.
In the 16th century, a notable figure with the surname LYKKEN was Olav Lykken, a farmer and landowner from Sunnfjord, Norway, who lived from approximately 1520 to 1590. Records indicate that he owned substantial tracts of land in the region.
During the 17th century, the LYKKEN surname gained further recognition with the birth of Hans Lykken (1633-1699), a Norwegian merchant and ship owner from Bergen. He was known for his successful trading ventures and contributed to the city's economic prosperity.
Another individual of note was Ingeborg Lykken (1720-1795), a Norwegian landowner and farmer from Hardanger, who owned and managed several properties in the area. She was renowned for her agricultural expertise and business acumen.
In the 19th century, the LYKKEN surname gained international recognition with the birth of the Norwegian-American explorer and writer, Fridtjof Nansen (1861-1930). Although his given name was Fridtjof, his mother's maiden name was LYKKEN, which he often used as part of his full name.
Throughout its history, the LYKKEN surname has maintained strong connections to its Norwegian roots, with many families continuing to reside in the country's western and southwestern regions. While some individuals with this surname have migrated to other parts of the world, the name remains deeply rooted in its Scandinavian origins.
We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Lykken.
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 Lykken was:
Race/Ethnicity | Percentage | Total Occurrences |
---|---|---|
Non-Hispanic White Only | 94.59% | 280 |
Non-Hispanic Black Only | (S)% | (S) |
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 | 2.70% | 8 |
Hispanic Origin | (S)% | (S) |
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 Lykken has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.
2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
---|---|---|---|
White | 94.59% | 95.67% | -1.14% |
Black | (S)% | 0.00% | (S)% |
Asian and Pacific Islander | (S)% | (S)% | (S)% |
American Indian and Alaskan Native | (S)% | (S)% | (S)% |
Two or More Races | 2.70% | 2.53% | 6.50% |
Hispanic | (S)% | 0.00% | (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 Lykken was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.
If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Lykken, please contact us.
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<a href="http://namecensus.com/last-names/lykken-surname-popularity/">Lykken last name popularity, history, and meaning</a>
"Lykken last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on August 18, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/lykken-surname-popularity/.
"Lykken last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/lykken-surname-popularity/. Accessed 18 August, 2025
Lykken last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/lykken-surname-popularity/.
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