2000
#7,951
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,860
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.43
Rare Last name
Nilsen
Patronymic surname meaning "son of Nils," a Scandinavian form of Nicholas, derived from the Greek "victory of the people."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,489 Americans carry the last name Nilsen. That puts it at #8,108 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.31 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 76,354 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nilsen 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 Nilsen with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.5K
1 in 76,354
Census rank
#8,108
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,915 bearers of the surname Nilsen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.31 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8108th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nilsen, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nilsen
Among Census respondents with the surname Nilsen, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Nilsen 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 Nilsen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.2% · 3,569
- Hispanic or Latino4.9% · 191
- Two or more races2.3% · 89
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 38
- Black or African American0.5% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nilsen
Nilsen 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
#7,956
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,158
+298 bearers (+7.7%)
Per 100,000 1.41
Rank movement Down 5 places
2020
#8,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,915
-243 bearers (-5.8%)
Per 100,000 1.31
Rank movement Down 152 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,951 | 3,860 | 1.43 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,956 | 4,158 | 1.41 | +298 bearers (+7.7%) | Down 5 places |
| 2020 | #8,108 | 3,915 | 1.31 | -243 bearers (-5.8%) | Down 152 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 Nilsen 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 | #7,956 | #8,108 | -1.9% |
| Count | 4,158 | 3,915 | -5.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.41 | 1.31 | -7.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nilsen bearers went from 4,158 to 3,915 (-5.8% change). The surname moved down 152 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,956 to #8,108.
FAQ
Nilsen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nilsen?
Name Census estimates that about 4,489 living Americans carry the surname Nilsen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 76,354 residents.
How common is Nilsen?
Nilsen ranks #8,108 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.31 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,915 people with the surname Nilsen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,489), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.31 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.31 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Nilsen.
Has Nilsen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nilsen went from 4,158 recorded bearers to 3,915. That is a decrease of 243 (-5.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,956 to #8,108.
What does the Census say about the background of Nilsen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nilsen, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Nilsen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (3,569 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nilsen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.2%), Hispanic (4.9%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Nilsen (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 Nilsen mean?
Patronymic surname meaning "son of Nils," a Scandinavian form of Nicholas, derived from the Greek "victory of the people." 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 Nilsen (1.31 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 people are called Nilsen?
You can see how common the surname Nilsen is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.