2000
#765
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 41,007
First available Census row
Per 100,000 15.20
Uncommon Last name
Nielsen
A patronymic surname of Danish origin meaning "son of Niels," a Scandinavian form of Nicholas.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 48,759 Americans carry the last name Nielsen. That puts it at #796 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 14.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 7,030 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nielsen 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 Nielsen with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
49K
1 in 7,030
Census rank
#796
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
14.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
43K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 42,520 bearers of the surname Nielsen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 14.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 796th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nielsen, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nielsen
The surname Nielsen is of Danish origin and dates back to the medieval period. It is a patronymic surname, meaning "son of Niels." Niels is a Danish form of the name Nicholas, which derives from the Greek name Nikolaos, meaning "victory of the people."
The earliest recorded instances of the Nielsen surname can be traced back to the 15th century in Denmark. In some regions, the name was also spelled as Nielssen or Nielson. The surname was particularly common in the Danish islands of Zealand and Funen, as well as in the regions of North Jutland and Schleswig-Holstein.
One of the earliest documented individuals with the Nielsen surname was Peder Nielsen, a Danish clergyman and theologian who lived from around 1480 to 1542. He was known for his contributions to the Protestant Reformation in Denmark.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Nielsen surname began to spread beyond Denmark's borders. In Norway, the name was often spelled as Nielssen or Nilssen. In Sweden, it appeared as Nilsson or Nielsson.
One notable bearer of the Nielsen surname was Ludvig Nielsen, a Danish naval officer and explorer who lived from 1832 to 1891. He is known for leading several expeditions to Greenland and contributing to the mapping of the island's coastline.
In the 19th century, the Nielsen surname also gained prominence in the United States due to Danish immigration. One example is Adolphus Nielsen, a Danish-American businessman and politician who lived from 1857 to 1938. He served as a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly.
Another individual of note is Niels Henrik David Bohr, a Danish physicist who lived from 1885 to 1962. He is renowned for his contributions to the understanding of atomic structure and quantum theory, for which he received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1922.
The Nielsen surname has also been associated with various place names in Denmark, such as Nielstrup, Nielsby, and Nielsholm, which likely derived from individuals bearing the name who lived in or owned those localities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nielsen
Among Census respondents with the surname Nielsen, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Nielsen 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 Nielsen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.1% · 38,752
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 1,637
- Two or more races3.1% · 1,324
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 437
- Black or African American0.5% · 192
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 178
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nielsen
Nielsen 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
#810
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 42,773
+1,766 bearers (+4.3%)
Per 100,000 14.50
Rank movement Down 45 places
2020
#796
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 42,520
-253 bearers (-0.6%)
Per 100,000 14.23
Rank movement Up 14 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #765 | 41,007 | 15.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #810 | 42,773 | 14.50 | +1,766 bearers (+4.3%) | Down 45 places |
| 2020 | #796 | 42,520 | 14.23 | -253 bearers (-0.6%) | Up 14 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 Nielsen 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 | #810 | #796 | 1.7% |
| Count | 42,773 | 42,520 | -0.6% |
| Per 100K | 14.50 | 14.23 | -1.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nielsen bearers went from 42,773 to 42,520 (-0.6% change). The surname moved up 14 positions in the national ranking, going from #810 to #796.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Nielsen
FAQ
Nielsen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nielsen?
Name Census estimates that about 48,759 living Americans carry the surname Nielsen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 7,030 residents.
How common is Nielsen?
Nielsen ranks #796 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 14.23 per 100,000 residents, which is about 14 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 42,520 people with the surname Nielsen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (48,759), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 14.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 14.23 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 14 of them to have the surname Nielsen.
Has Nielsen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nielsen went from 42,773 recorded bearers to 42,520. That is a decrease of 253 (-0.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #810 to #796.
What does the Census say about the background of Nielsen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nielsen, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Nielsen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (38,752 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nielsen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.1%), Hispanic (3.8%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Nielsen (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 Nielsen mean?
A patronymic surname of Danish origin meaning "son of Niels," a Scandinavian form of Nicholas. 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 Nielsen (14.23 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 Americans have the surname Nielsen?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.