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

Mortensen, 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 Mortensen surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Mortensen in America

Mortensen is the 3282nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Mortensen surname appeared 11,013 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Mortensen.

We can also compare 2010 data for Mortensen 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 Mortensen

The surname Mortensen is of Danish origin, with roots tracing back to the Middle Ages. It is a patronymic surname, which means it was originally derived from the given name of the bearer's father or ancestor.

The name Mortensen is believed to have originated from the Old Norse personal name "Mördr," which means "murder" or "killing." This name was likely given to a strong or fierce warrior or hunter. Over time, the name evolved into the Danish form "Morten," which is the equivalent of the English name "Martin."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Mortensen surname can be found in the Danish Census of 1787, where several families with this name were listed as residents of various regions across Denmark.

In the 19th century, the Mortensen surname gained prominence with the birth of Viggo Mortensen (1858-1950), a Danish painter and illustrator known for his depictions of rural life in Denmark. His works are displayed in several museums across Scandinavia.

Another notable figure was Hans Mortensen (1817-1899), a Danish architect who designed several prominent buildings in Copenhagen, including the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek museum and the Thorvaldsens Museum.

The Mortensen surname also has a strong presence in Norway, where it is often spelled as "Mortensen" or "Mortenson." One of the earliest recorded instances of this variant spelling can be traced back to the 16th century, when a man named Jørgen Mortenson was listed as a resident of Bergen, Norway.

In the United States, the Mortensen surname gained recognition with the birth of Mortensen M. Mortensen (1876-1958), a Danish-American businessman and philanthropist who co-founded the Mortensen Construction Company in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Another noteworthy figure was Viggo Mortensen (born 1958), the American actor and producer of Danish descent, best known for his roles in films such as "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy and "Green Book."

Throughout history, the Mortensen surname has been associated with various professions, including artists, architects, businessmen, and more recently, actors and filmmakers. While its origins can be traced back to the Viking era, the name continues to be a prominent part of Scandinavian culture and heritage.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Mortensen

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!