2000
#12,938
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,177
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.81
Rare Last name
Magnus
A Latin surname meaning "great" or "large," likely referring to a person of great stature or importance.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,507 Americans carry the last name Magnus. That puts it at #13,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 136,719 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Magnus 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Magnus with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.5K
1 in 136,719
Census rank
#13,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,186 bearers of the surname Magnus in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Magnus, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.8%. The next largest groups are Black (7.3%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Magnus
Among Census respondents with the surname Magnus, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.8%. The next largest groups are Black (7.3%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Magnus 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 Magnus surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.8% · 1,832
- Black or African American7.3% · 160
- Two or more races4.0% · 87
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 84
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Magnus
Magnus 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
#13,316
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,291
+114 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Down 378 places
2020
#13,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,186
-105 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Down 23 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,938 | 2,177 | 0.81 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,316 | 2,291 | 0.78 | +114 bearers (+5.2%) | Down 378 places |
| 2020 | #13,339 | 2,186 | 0.73 | -105 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 23 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 Magnus 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 | #13,316 | #13,339 | -0.2% |
| Count | 2,291 | 2,186 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.78 | 0.73 | -6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Magnus bearers went from 2,291 to 2,186 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 23 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,316 to #13,339.
FAQ
Magnus surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Magnus?
Name Census estimates that about 2,507 living Americans carry the surname Magnus. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 136,719 residents.
How common is Magnus?
Magnus ranks #13,339 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.73 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,186 people with the surname Magnus. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,507), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.73 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Magnus.
Has Magnus become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Magnus went from 2,291 recorded bearers to 2,186. That is a decrease of 105 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,316 to #13,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Magnus?
Among Census respondents with the surname Magnus, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.8%. The next largest groups are Black (7.3%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Magnus in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.8% (1,832 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Magnus appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.8%), Black (7.3%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Magnus (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 Magnus mean?
A Latin surname meaning "great" or "large," likely referring to a person of great stature or importance. 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 Magnus (0.73 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 common is the surname Magnus?
Want to know how common the surname Magnus is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.