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

Odens, 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 Odens surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Odens in America

Odens is the 73666th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Odens surname appeared 263 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Odens.

We can also compare 2010 data for Odens 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 Odens

The surname ODENS originated in Sweden during the late medieval period. It is derived from the Old Norse personal name Odin, which was the name of the chief god in Norse mythology. The name Odin is believed to come from the Old Norse word "óðr," meaning fury or frenzy, likely referring to the god's association with battle and war.

ODENS was initially used as a patronymic name, indicating descent from someone named Odin. It was common in Scandinavian countries during the Middle Ages to form surnames by adding the suffix "-son" or "-dotter" to the father's given name. Over time, these patronymic names became fixed as hereditary surnames.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the ODENS surname can be found in the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, a collection of medieval Norwegian diplomas and documents dating back to the 12th century. In this collection, a person named "Oddonis Odensson" is mentioned in a document from the year 1361.

The ODENS surname also appears in the Danish Census Book of 1645, which recorded the names of residents in various parts of Denmark. One notable individual listed in this census was Hans Odens, a farmer from the village of Tjæreborg in southern Jutland.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the ODENS surname. One of the earliest was Jørgen Odens, a Danish politician and landowner who lived in the 16th century. He served as a member of the Danish Privy Council and played a significant role in the Reformation in Denmark.

Another notable figure was Niels Odens, a Danish naval officer and explorer who lived in the late 17th century. He is best known for leading an expedition to the Faroe Islands in 1688, where he mapped and surveyed the islands for the Danish crown.

In the 19th century, Johan Odens was a prominent Swedish painter and art teacher. He is known for his landscapes and portraits, and his works can be found in several museums in Sweden.

Carl Odens, a Swedish engineer and inventor, lived during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He is best remembered for his contributions to the development of the modern fire extinguisher and for patenting several improvements to fire safety equipment.

Finally, Ingrid Odens was a Norwegian author and playwright who lived from 1891 to 1980. She wrote several novels and plays that explored themes of social justice and the struggles of working-class families in Norway.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Odens

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

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

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

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