2000
#150,436
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Rorvik
A locational surname derived from a place called Rorvik in Norway.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Rorvik. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rorvik 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.
Bearers in the US
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Rorvik in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rorvik, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rorvik
The surname Rorvik is of Norwegian origin, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages. It is a toponymic surname, derived from the village of Rørvika located in the municipality of Rennebu, Trøndelag county, Norway. The name itself is a compound of the Old Norse words "rør" meaning "reed" or "cane" and "vik" meaning "inlet" or "cove," suggesting that the name likely referred to a reed-covered inlet or bay near the village.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the surname Rorvik can be found in the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, a collection of medieval Norwegian diplomas and letters. In 1375, a document mentions a person named Gunnar Rorvik, who was a farmer from the Rørvika area. This indicates that the surname was already in use by the 14th century.
In the late 16th century, the Rorvik surname appears in the records of the Trondheim Cathedral, which served as an important religious and administrative center in Norway during the Middle Ages. The records mention a man named Peder Rorvik, who was a merchant and landowner in the city.
During the 17th century, the Rorvik family gained prominence in the Trøndelag region. One notable figure was Jens Rorvik (1620-1688), a wealthy landowner and farmer who served as a representative in the local parliament. His son, Hans Rorvik (1655-1725), followed in his footsteps and became a respected figure in the community.
In the 19th century, the Rorvik surname spread beyond Norway as some members of the family emigrated to other parts of the world. One such individual was Nils Rorvik (1832-1901), who left Norway in 1857 and settled in Wisconsin, United States, where he worked as a farmer.
Another notable bearer of the Rorvik surname was the Norwegian author and journalist, Ole Rorvik (1876-1947). He was born in Rørvika and gained recognition for his novels and short stories depicting life in rural Norway.
While the Rorvik surname originated in a small village in Norway, it has since spread to various parts of the world, carried by individuals who have contributed to various fields, from agriculture and politics to literature and journalism.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rorvik
Among Census respondents with the surname Rorvik, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Rorvik 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 Rorvik surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.2% · 96
- Two or more races3.9% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 2
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rorvik
Rorvik 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
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+20 bearers (+20.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 11,208 places
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-17 bearers (-14.2%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 14,954 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #150,436 | 100 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | +20 bearers (+20.0%) | Up 11,208 places |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | -17 bearers (-14.2%) | Down 14,954 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 Rorvik 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 | #139,228 | #154,182 | -10.7% |
| Count | 120 | 103 | -14.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rorvik bearers went from 120 to 103 (-14.2% change). The surname moved down 14,954 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #154,182.
FAQ
Rorvik surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rorvik?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Rorvik. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Rorvik?
Rorvik ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 103 people with the surname Rorvik. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Rorvik.
Has Rorvik become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rorvik went from 120 recorded bearers to 103. That is a decrease of 17 (-14.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Rorvik?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rorvik, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.9%). 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 Rorvik in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.2% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rorvik appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.2%), Two or More Races (3.9%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.9%). 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 Rorvik (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 Rorvik mean?
A locational surname derived from a place called Rorvik in Norway. 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 Rorvik (0.03 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 Rorvik?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Rorvik on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.