2000
#140,756
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Lysaker
A Norwegian place name, likely referring to someone from the area of Lysaker near Oslo.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Lysaker. 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 Lysaker 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 Lysaker 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 Lysaker, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.8%) and Black (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lysaker
The surname Lysaker has its origins in Norway, with records dating back to the early 18th century. The name is believed to have derived from the Norwegian place name Lysaker, which itself is thought to have been derived from the Old Norse words "lysa" meaning "clearance" and "akr" meaning "field" or "cultivated land". This suggests that the name likely originated from a specific location or settlement known for its cleared fields or cultivated lands.
One of the earliest known references to the name Lysaker can be found in church records from the Aker region of Norway, which includes the modern-day municipality of Lysaker. These records indicate that families with the surname Lysaker were living in the area as early as the 1720s.
In the late 18th century, a prominent individual named Hans Lysaker (1763-1842) was born in the Lysaker area. He went on to become a respected farmer and landowner, contributing to the local community and helping to establish the name's significance in the region.
During the 19th century, the name Lysaker began to spread beyond its original geographic boundaries as individuals migrated to other parts of Norway and even abroad. Notable figures from this period include Johan Lysaker (1818-1891), a Norwegian politician and member of the Storting (the Norwegian parliament), and Ingrid Lysaker (1836-1912), a pioneering educator who established several schools for girls in Norway.
As the 20th century approached, the Lysaker surname continued to gain recognition across Norway and beyond. One notable individual was Olav Lysaker (1892-1972), a Norwegian author and journalist who wrote extensively on topics related to agriculture and rural life.
Another significant figure was Knut Lysaker (1904-1987), a Norwegian economist and academic who served as the rector of the Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration (NHH) from 1946 to 1974. His contributions to the field of economics and his leadership in academic institutions helped solidify the Lysaker name's association with intellect and scholarship.
Throughout its history, the surname Lysaker has maintained a strong connection to its Norwegian roots and has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including farmers, politicians, educators, authors, and academics. While its geographic origins can be traced to a specific area in Norway, the name has since spread across the country and beyond, becoming a recognizable part of Norwegian heritage and identity.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lysaker
Among Census respondents with the surname Lysaker, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.8%) and Black (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Lysaker 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 Lysaker surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.3% · 93
- Hispanic or Latino7.8% · 8
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lysaker
Lysaker 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+4 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,445 places
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-10 bearers (-8.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 7,981 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #140,756 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.7%) | Down 5,445 places |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | -10 bearers (-8.8%) | Down 7,981 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 Lysaker 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 | #146,201 | #154,182 | -5.5% |
| Count | 113 | 103 | -8.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lysaker bearers went from 113 to 103 (-8.8% change). The surname moved down 7,981 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #154,182.
FAQ
Lysaker surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lysaker?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Lysaker. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Lysaker?
Lysaker 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 Lysaker. 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 Lysaker.
Has Lysaker become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lysaker went from 113 recorded bearers to 103. That is a decrease of 10 (-8.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Lysaker?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lysaker, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.8%) and Black (1.0%). 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 Lysaker in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.3% (93 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lysaker appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.3%), Hispanic (7.8%), Black (1.0%). 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 Lysaker (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 Lysaker mean?
A Norwegian place name, likely referring to someone from the area of Lysaker near Oslo. 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 Lysaker (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 people are called Lysaker?
Find out how many people are called Lysaker on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.