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

Ormseth, 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 Ormseth surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ormseth in America

Ormseth is the 125282nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ormseth surname appeared 137 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 Ormseth.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ormseth 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 Ormseth

The surname Ormseth originated in Scandinavian countries, primarily in Norway, during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old Norse words "ormr" meaning serpent or dragon, and "seth" meaning homestead or settlement. This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived near a place associated with serpents or dragons, perhaps a homestead located near a winding river or a settlement with a serpentine symbol.

The earliest known record of the name Ormseth can be traced back to the 13th century in Norway. It appears in various historical documents and records from that era, often spelled slightly differently, such as Ormsethe, Ormsæth, or Ormsæthe. These variations were common due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions at the time.

One notable early bearer of the name was Orm Ormseth, a Norwegian farmer and landowner who lived in the 14th century. He is mentioned in several land registry documents from the region of Vestfold, Norway, where he owned a significant amount of farmland.

In the 16th century, the name Ormseth can be found in the records of the Hanseatic League, a powerful commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Northern Europe. This suggests that some members of the Ormseth family may have been involved in trade and commerce during that period.

A prominent figure with the surname Ormseth was Bjørn Ormseth, a Norwegian military officer who lived in the 17th century. He served in the Swedish-Norwegian army and participated in several battles during the Kalmar War between Sweden and Denmark-Norway.

Another notable individual was Ingrid Ormseth, a Norwegian author and poet who lived in the 19th century (1825-1895). She published several collections of poetry and was known for her romanticized depictions of rural Norwegian life.

In the 20th century, the name Ormseth was carried by Halvor Ormseth (1908-1998), a Norwegian-American linguist and professor at the University of Minnesota. He made significant contributions to the study of Scandinavian languages and their relationship to other Germanic languages.

While the surname Ormseth is not as common as some other Scandinavian names, it has a rich history and can be traced back to the medieval era in Norway. Its origins are deeply rooted in the Old Norse language and culture, reflecting the importance of symbols and legends in the region's past.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ormseth

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

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

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

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