2000
#9,283
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,228
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.20
Rare Last name
Michelson
Son of Michael, a patronymic surname derived from the given name Michel, a form of Michael.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,227 Americans carry the last name Michelson. That puts it at #10,816 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.94 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 106,215 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Michelson 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 Michelson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.2K
1 in 106,215
Census rank
#10,816
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,814 bearers of the surname Michelson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.94 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10816th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Michelson, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Michelson
The surname Michelson is of German origin, derived from the medieval personal name Michel, which in turn was a Germanic form of the Hebrew name Michael, meaning "who is like God?" The name likely emerged in the Middle Ages, between the 12th and 15th centuries, in various regions of present-day Germany.
In its earliest recorded forms, the surname appeared as Michelsen, Michels, or Michelsohn, reflecting the common Germanic patronymic naming conventions of the time. These variations indicated "son of Michel" or a direct lineage connection to an ancestor named Michel.
One of the earliest known references to the Michelson name can be found in the Kirchenbücher (church records) of the town of Lübeck in northern Germany, dating back to the late 16th century. These records document several individuals with the Michelson surname residing in the area.
Notably, the celebrated American physicist Albert Abraham Michelson (1852-1931), renowned for his groundbreaking experiments on the measurement of the speed of light, was born to a Jewish family in Strelno, Prussia (now part of Poland). His surname reflects the German-Jewish heritage of his ancestors.
Another prominent historical figure bearing the Michelson name was Carl Adolph Michelsen (1835-1925), a Norwegian shipowner and businessman who was instrumental in the development of the Norwegian merchant marine in the late 19th century.
In the realm of literature, the Norwegian author and playwright Hartvig Michelsen (1849-1932) left a lasting mark with his works exploring themes of rural life and social issues in Norway during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The Michelson surname has also been associated with notable figures in the arts, such as the Danish-American painter and printmaker Emil Michelsen (1859-1925), known for his landscapes and seascapes depicting the rugged beauty of the American West.
While the Michelson name is most commonly found in Germany, Norway, and other Scandinavian countries, it has also been carried by individuals in various parts of the world due to migration and dispersal over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Michelson
Among Census respondents with the surname Michelson, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Michelson 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 Michelson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.7% · 2,525
- Hispanic or Latino4.7% · 133
- Two or more races3.4% · 96
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 30
- Black or African American0.8% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Michelson
Michelson 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
#10,224
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,153
-75 bearers (-2.3%)
Per 100,000 1.07
Rank movement Down 941 places
2020
#10,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,814
-339 bearers (-10.8%)
Per 100,000 0.94
Rank movement Down 592 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,283 | 3,228 | 1.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,224 | 3,153 | 1.07 | -75 bearers (-2.3%) | Down 941 places |
| 2020 | #10,816 | 2,814 | 0.94 | -339 bearers (-10.8%) | Down 592 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 Michelson 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 | #10,224 | #10,816 | -5.8% |
| Count | 3,153 | 2,814 | -10.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.07 | 0.94 | -12.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Michelson bearers went from 3,153 to 2,814 (-10.8% change). The surname moved down 592 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,224 to #10,816.
FAQ
Michelson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Michelson?
Name Census estimates that about 3,227 living Americans carry the surname Michelson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 106,215 residents.
How common is Michelson?
Michelson ranks #10,816 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.94 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 2,814 people with the surname Michelson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,227), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.94 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.94 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 Michelson.
Has Michelson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Michelson went from 3,153 recorded bearers to 2,814. That is a decrease of 339 (-10.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,224 to #10,816.
What does the Census say about the background of Michelson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Michelson, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Michelson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (2,525 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Michelson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.7%), Hispanic (4.7%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Michelson (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 Michelson mean?
Son of Michael, a patronymic surname derived from the given name Michel, a form of Michael. 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 Michelson (0.94 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 share the surname Michelson?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.