2000
#893
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 35,453
First available Census row
Per 100,000 13.14
Uncommon Last name
Rasmussen
Son of Rasmus, a patronymic surname of Danish and Norwegian origin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 40,470 Americans carry the last name Rasmussen. That puts it at #976 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 11.81 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 8,469 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rasmussen 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 Rasmussen with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
40K
1 in 8,469
Census rank
#976
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
11.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
35K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 35,292 bearers of the surname Rasmussen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 11.81 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 976th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rasmussen, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rasmussen
The surname Rasmussen is of Danish origin, originating in the late medieval period. It is a patronymic surname derived from the personal name Rasmus, which is a Danish form of the biblical name Erasmus. The name Erasmus itself is derived from the Greek word "erasmios," meaning "beloved" or "desired."
Rasmussen is one of the most common surnames in Denmark, where it is believed to have first emerged in the 14th or 15th century. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in Danish census records and parish registers from that time period.
The name Rasmussen is closely tied to the Danish island of Funen, where it was particularly prevalent in the towns of Odense and Nyborg. It is thought that the name may have originated in these areas and then spread throughout Denmark and other Scandinavian countries.
One notable early bearer of the name was Rasmus Ludvigsen Rasmussen, a Danish priest and author who lived in the 17th century (1635-1699). He is known for his work "Danmarkis Beskrivelse" (Description of Denmark), which was an important early geographical account of the country.
Another significant figure with the Rasmussen surname was Jens Rasmussen Skomager, a Danish merchant and ship owner who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He is credited with establishing one of the first Danish trading companies in the East Indies.
In the 19th century, the name gained further prominence with the explorer and ethnographer Knud Rasmussen (1879-1933). He is best known for his expeditions to Greenland and his extensive studies of Inuit culture and traditions.
Other notable individuals with the Rasmussen surname include the Danish artist Vilhelm Rasmussen (1822-1865), known for his landscape paintings, and the Norwegian author and playwright Bjørn Rasmussen (1936-2017), who wrote several novels and plays exploring themes of identity and cultural conflicts.
While the name Rasmussen is most commonly associated with Denmark and other Scandinavian countries, it has also spread to other parts of the world through emigration. However, its origins can be traced back to the Danish patronymic naming tradition and the personal name Rasmus, which has its roots in the Greek language and biblical sources.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rasmussen
Among Census respondents with the surname Rasmussen, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Rasmussen 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 Rasmussen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.6% · 32,345
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 1,241
- Two or more races3.0% · 1,076
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 360
- Black or African American0.4% · 140
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 130
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rasmussen
Rasmussen 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
#947
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 36,636
+1,183 bearers (+3.3%)
Per 100,000 12.42
Rank movement Down 54 places
2020
#976
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 35,292
-1,344 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 11.81
Rank movement Down 29 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #893 | 35,453 | 13.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #947 | 36,636 | 12.42 | +1,183 bearers (+3.3%) | Down 54 places |
| 2020 | #976 | 35,292 | 11.81 | -1,344 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 29 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 Rasmussen 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 | #947 | #976 | -3.1% |
| Count | 36,636 | 35,292 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 12.42 | 11.81 | -4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rasmussen bearers went from 36,636 to 35,292 (-3.7% change). The surname moved down 29 positions in the national ranking, going from #947 to #976.
FAQ
Rasmussen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rasmussen?
Name Census estimates that about 40,470 living Americans carry the surname Rasmussen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 8,469 residents.
How common is Rasmussen?
Rasmussen ranks #976 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 11.81 per 100,000 residents, which is about 12 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 35,292 people with the surname Rasmussen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (40,470), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 11.81 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 11.81 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 12 of them to have the surname Rasmussen.
Has Rasmussen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rasmussen went from 36,636 recorded bearers to 35,292. That is a decrease of 1,344 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #947 to #976.
What does the Census say about the background of Rasmussen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rasmussen, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Rasmussen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (32,345 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rasmussen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.6%), Hispanic (3.5%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Rasmussen (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 Rasmussen mean?
Son of Rasmus, a patronymic surname of Danish and Norwegian origin. 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 Rasmussen (11.81 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 Rasmussen?
Find out how many people have the surname Rasmussen on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.