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

Skagen, 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 Skagen surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Skagen in America

Skagen is the 84748th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Skagen surname appeared 221 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 Skagen.

We can also compare 2010 data for Skagen 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 Skagen

The surname Skagen originated in Denmark and can be traced back to the 15th century. It is a locational surname derived from the town of Skagen, which is situated at the northernmost point of Denmark's Jutland peninsula. The name is believed to have originated from the Old Norse word "skalg," meaning "promontory" or "headland."

Skagen is first mentioned in historical records from the late 13th century, when it was referred to as "Schalleghæ" in a document dated 1284. Over the centuries, the name evolved through various spellings, including "Schalghæ," "Skaghen," and "Skagen," before settling into its modern form.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Skagen surname is found in the Danish Census Book of 1572, which lists a "Peder Skagen" residing in the town of the same name. Another notable early bearer of the name was Jens Skagen, a merchant and ship owner who lived in Skagen in the late 16th century.

In the 17th century, the Skagen surname began to spread beyond its place of origin as people migrated to other parts of Denmark and Europe. One notable figure from this period was Hans Skagen (1594-1668), a Danish theologian and bishop of the Diocese of Viborg.

The 18th century saw the rise of the Skagen fishing industry, which likely contributed to the further dissemination of the surname. One prominent individual from this era was Christen Skagen (1741-1815), a Danish naval officer and explorer who conducted surveys of the Faroe Islands and the west coast of Greenland.

In the 19th century, the Skagen surname gained international recognition due to the Skagen Painters, a group of Danish artists who established an artists' colony in the town of Skagen. Among the most famous members of this group were Michael Ancher (1849-1927) and his wife Anna Ancher (1859-1935), both of whom bore the Skagen surname.

Other notable individuals with the Skagen surname include Axel Skagen (1863-1943), a Norwegian painter and illustrator, and Knud Skagen (1880-1963), a Danish engineer and inventor who developed the first successful mechanical log splitter.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Skagen

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

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

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

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