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

Magnus, 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 Magnus surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Magnus in America

Magnus is the 13316th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Magnus surname appeared 2,291 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Magnus.

We can also compare 2010 data for Magnus 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 Magnus

The surname Magnus originated in Scandinavia and is derived from the Old Norse word "magn" which means "strength" or "power". The name was initially used as a byname or nickname for someone who was considered physically strong or powerful.

Magnus can be traced back to the 11th century and was popularized during the Viking Age when Scandinavian settlers and warriors spread across Europe. The earliest recorded mention of the name Magnus is found in the Icelandic sagas, which are a collection of medieval literary works that describe the lives and adventures of Nordic settlers.

One of the most notable historical figures with the surname Magnus was King Magnus I of Norway, also known as Magnus the Good, who ruled from 1035 to 1047. He was the son of King Olaf II and is celebrated for his efforts to strengthen Christianity in Norway and promote peace among the Scandinavian kingdoms.

Another prominent figure was Saint Magnus Erlendsson, Earl of Orkney, who lived in the 12th century. He was known for his piety and was eventually canonized by the Catholic Church after his death in 1116. The town of St. Magnus on the Orkney Islands is named after him.

In England, the name Magnus is first recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of landholdings commissioned by William the Conqueror. The Domesday Book mentions a landowner named Magnus in Lincolnshire.

During the Middle Ages, the name Magnus was also found in various forms and spellings, such as Mangnus, Mangnes, and Mangnuson, reflecting the regional dialects and linguistic variations of the time.

One notable figure from this period was Magnus Eriksson, King of Sweden from 1319 to 1364. He played a significant role in the consolidation of Swedish power and the formation of the Kalmar Union, which united the Scandinavian kingdoms under a single monarch.

In the Renaissance era, a famous bearer of the surname Magnus was Johannes Magnus, a Swedish historian and theologian who lived from 1488 to 1544. He is best known for his work "Historia de Omnibus Gothorum Sueonumque Regibus" (History of All the Gothic and Swedish Kings), which chronicled the history of the Scandinavian rulers.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Magnus

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

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

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

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