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

Mickelsen, 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 Mickelsen surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Mickelsen in America

Mickelsen is the 13166th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Mickelsen surname appeared 2,322 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 Mickelsen.

We can also compare 2010 data for Mickelsen 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 Mickelsen

The surname Mickelsen is of Scandinavian origin, specifically from Norway and Denmark. It is believed to have derived from the Old Norse name Mikkel or Mikkal, which was a diminutive form of the name Michael. The suffix "-sen" was commonly added to Norwegian and Danish surnames, indicating "son of".

The earliest records of the Mickelsen surname can be traced back to the 14th century in Norway and Denmark. It was a common practice for individuals to adopt surnames based on their father's given name, particularly in rural areas. This surname would have been given to the sons of a man named Mikkel or Mikkal.

In medieval Norwegian records, the name appeared with various spellings, such as Mickelson, Mickelsen, and Mikkelson. These variations were common due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions at the time. One notable early mention of the name can be found in the Bergen Census of 1591, which lists several individuals with the surname Mickelsen.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the Mickelsen surname was Hans Mickelsen, a Norwegian farmer who lived in the 16th century. Another early example is Jens Mickelsen, a Danish merchant from the city of Aalborg, who was mentioned in the city's records in the late 17th century.

In the 19th century, the Mickelsen surname gained prominence with the birth of Maren Mickelsen (1825-1910), a Norwegian-American pioneer who helped establish the community of Ephraim, Utah. Her son, Andrew Mickelsen (1853-1941), was a notable leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Another notable figure with the Mickelsen surname was Nils Mickelsen (1864-1945), a Norwegian-American businessman and philanthropist. He was instrumental in establishing the Scandinavian American Bank in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Inger Mickelsen (1878-1966), a Danish-American educator and author, was also a prominent bearer of this surname. She wrote several books on Scandinavian culture and traditions.

In more recent history, Bruce R. Mickelsen (1935-2008) was a distinguished professor of education at Arizona State University and a renowned advocate for educational reform.

While the Mickelsen surname is most commonly found in Scandinavian countries and among individuals of Scandinavian descent, it has also been carried by families in other parts of the world due to migration and cultural exchange.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Mickelsen

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

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

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

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