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

Nilsen, 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 Nilsen surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Nilsen in America

Nilsen is the 7956th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Nilsen surname appeared 4,158 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 Nilsen.

We can also compare 2010 data for Nilsen 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 Nilsen

The surname Nilsen is of Norwegian origin, with roots tracing back to the medieval period. It is a patronymic name, derived from the Old Norse personal name "Nikulás," which in turn comes from the Greek name "Nikolaos," meaning "victory of the people."

The name Nilsen is widely found in various areas of Norway, particularly in the western and central regions. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, a collection of Norwegian medieval documents, where a person named Nikulás Nilsson is mentioned in the late 13th century.

In the 14th century, the name appeared in several Norwegian records, including the Icelandic Annals, where a man named Nilsen Arnason is referenced. During this time, the name was often spelled with variations such as Nilsson, Nielssen, or Nielsen, reflecting the regional dialects and spelling conventions of the time.

In the 16th century, the name gained prominence with the birth of Nils Henriksson Nilsen (c. 1510-1589), a Norwegian clergyman and author who played a significant role in the Reformation in Norway. His writings and translations of religious texts helped shape the development of the Norwegian language.

One of the most notable figures in Norwegian history with the Nilsen surname is Peter Andreas Nilsen (1737-1804), a Norwegian businessman and ship owner. He was instrumental in establishing the Norwegian whaling industry and contributed to the economic growth of the country during the late 18th century.

Another prominent individual was Nils Stockfleth Dahl Nilsen (1820-1904), a Norwegian philologist and professor at the University of Christiania (now the University of Oslo). He made significant contributions to the study of the Old Norse language and literature.

In the 20th century, Odd Nilsen (1901-1973) gained recognition as a Norwegian politician and member of the Norwegian Parliament. He served as the Minister of Finance and played a crucial role in shaping Norway's economic policies during the post-World War II era.

The surname Nilsen has also been associated with various place names in Norway, such as Nilsenfjellet (Nilsen Mountain) and Nilsengården (Nilsen Farm), further reinforcing its deep roots in the country's history and geography.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Nilsen

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

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

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

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