2000
#4,430
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,405
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.75
Rare Last name
Mickelson
Son of Michael, derived from a patronymic surname of Scandinavian origin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,010 Americans carry the last name Mickelson. That puts it at #4,895 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.34 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 42,791 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mickelson 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
8.0K
1 in 42,791
Census rank
#4,895
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,985 bearers of the surname Mickelson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.34 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4895th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mickelson, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mickelson
The surname Mickelson is of Danish origin, traced back to the late 16th century. It is a patronymic name, derived from the personal name Mikkel, which is the Danish form of Michael. The suffix "-son" denotes the familial relationship, meaning "son of Mikkel."
In Denmark, the name was most prevalent in the regions of Jutland and Zealand, particularly in rural areas. Records show variations in spelling, such as Mickelsen, Mickelsen, and Michelsen, reflecting regional dialects and scribal inconsistencies.
One of the earliest documented instances of the name Mickelson can be found in the parish records of Aabenraa, a town in southern Jutland, dating back to the late 1500s. These records mention a family by the name of Mickelson, engaged in agricultural pursuits.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the name appears in various Danish census records and land registries, indicating its gradual spread across the country. Notable individuals bearing the Mickelson name during this period include Hans Mickelson (1632-1697), a respected landowner and farmer in the region of Funen.
As Danish immigration to North America increased in the 19th century, the Mickelson surname made its way across the Atlantic. One of the earliest recorded Mickelsons in the United States was Peter Mickelson (1819-1892), a farmer who settled in Wisconsin after emigrating from Denmark in the 1840s.
Another notable figure was Nels Mickelson (1848-1924), a Norwegian-born American businessman and political figure who served as the 12th Governor of South Dakota from 1915 to 1917.
In the field of arts and literature, the name Mickelson is associated with the American writer and educator Maren Mickelson (1904-1998), renowned for her works on Scandinavian culture and folklore.
The Mickelson surname also gained prominence in sports, with the professional golfer Phil Mickelson (born in 1970), a multiple major champion and one of the most successful players in the history of the PGA Tour.
Despite its Danish roots, the Mickelson name has since spread to various parts of the world, carried by descendants of Danish immigrants and through intermarriage with other ethnic groups.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mickelson
Among Census respondents with the surname Mickelson, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Mickelson 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 Mickelson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.0% · 6,497
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 215
- Two or more races2.6% · 184
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 33
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 32
- Black or African American0.3% · 24
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mickelson
Mickelson 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
#4,850
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,267
-138 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 2.46
Rank movement Down 420 places
2020
#4,895
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,985
-282 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 2.34
Rank movement Down 45 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,430 | 7,405 | 2.75 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,850 | 7,267 | 2.46 | -138 bearers (-1.9%) | Down 420 places |
| 2020 | #4,895 | 6,985 | 2.34 | -282 bearers (-3.9%) | Down 45 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 Mickelson 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 | #4,850 | #4,895 | -0.9% |
| Count | 7,267 | 6,985 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 2.46 | 2.34 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mickelson bearers went from 7,267 to 6,985 (-3.9% change). The surname moved down 45 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,850 to #4,895.
FAQ
Mickelson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mickelson?
Name Census estimates that about 8,010 living Americans carry the surname Mickelson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 42,791 residents.
How common is Mickelson?
Mickelson ranks #4,895 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.34 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,985 people with the surname Mickelson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,010), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.34 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.34 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Mickelson.
Has Mickelson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mickelson went from 7,267 recorded bearers to 6,985. That is a decrease of 282 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,850 to #4,895.
What does the Census say about the background of Mickelson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mickelson, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Mickelson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.0% (6,497 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mickelson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.0%), Hispanic (3.1%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Mickelson (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 Mickelson mean?
Son of Michael, derived from a patronymic surname of Scandinavian origin. 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 Mickelson (2.34 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 Mickelson?
See how many people have the last name Mickelson on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.