2000
#12,982
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,165
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.80
Rare Last name
Svendsen
A patronymic surname meaning "son of Svend," a Scandinavian given name derived from the Old Norse word for "youth" or "boy."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,475 Americans carry the last name Svendsen. That puts it at #13,483 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 138,487 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Svendsen 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 Svendsen with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.5K
1 in 138,487
Census rank
#13,483
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,158 bearers of the surname Svendsen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13483rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Svendsen, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Svendsen
The surname Svendsen has its origins in Scandinavia, specifically in Denmark and Norway. It is a patronymic name, meaning that it was originally derived from the given name of the father or an ancestor. The name is composed of the Old Norse elements "Svendr" or "Sveinn" meaning "young man" or "boy," and the suffix "-sen" which means "son of."
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Svendsen can be traced back to the 13th century in Denmark and Norway. It is believed to have originated in these regions, where it was commonly used as a way to identify individuals by their paternal lineage. The name was often associated with rural areas and farming communities in its early days.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Svendsen can be found in the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, a collection of Norwegian medieval documents dating back to the 13th century. The name also appears in various church records and census records from the same period in both Denmark and Norway.
In the late 16th century, a notable figure with the surname Svendsen was Hans Svendsen (1563-1634), a Danish clergyman and academic who served as the Bishop of Viborg from 1616 until his death.
During the 17th century, Joachim Svendsen (1607-1673) was a Norwegian merchant and shipowner who played a significant role in the development of the Norwegian merchant fleet and trade with the Netherlands.
In the 19th century, Johan Svendsen (1840-1911) was a Norwegian composer and conductor who is renowned for his contributions to the Romantic era of classical music. He is particularly known for his two symphonies and several orchestral works.
Another notable bearer of the surname was Erik Svendsen (1875-1923), a Norwegian explorer and adventurer who led several expeditions to the Arctic regions and was among the first to explore the islands of Svalbard.
In the 20th century, Gustav Svendsen (1904-1989) was a Norwegian politician and lawyer who served as the Prime Minister of Norway from 1965 to 1971.
Throughout its history, the surname Svendsen has maintained a strong presence in Scandinavia, particularly in Denmark and Norway, where it has been associated with various professions, ranging from clergy and academics to merchants, explorers, and politicians.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Svendsen
Among Census respondents with the surname Svendsen, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Svendsen 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 Svendsen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.9% · 1,961
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 88
- Two or more races3.1% · 66
- Black or African American1.3% · 27
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Svendsen
Svendsen 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
#13,438
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,267
+102 bearers (+4.7%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Down 456 places
2020
#13,483
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,158
-109 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Down 45 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,982 | 2,165 | 0.80 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,438 | 2,267 | 0.77 | +102 bearers (+4.7%) | Down 456 places |
| 2020 | #13,483 | 2,158 | 0.72 | -109 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 45 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 Svendsen 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 | #13,438 | #13,483 | -0.3% |
| Count | 2,267 | 2,158 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.77 | 0.72 | -6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Svendsen bearers went from 2,267 to 2,158 (-4.8% change). The surname moved down 45 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,438 to #13,483.
FAQ
Svendsen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Svendsen?
Name Census estimates that about 2,475 living Americans carry the surname Svendsen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 138,487 residents.
How common is Svendsen?
Svendsen ranks #13,483 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.72 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,158 people with the surname Svendsen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,475), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.72 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Svendsen.
Has Svendsen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Svendsen went from 2,267 recorded bearers to 2,158. That is a decrease of 109 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,438 to #13,483.
What does the Census say about the background of Svendsen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Svendsen, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Svendsen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.9% (1,961 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Svendsen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.9%), Hispanic (4.1%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Svendsen (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 Svendsen mean?
A patronymic surname meaning "son of Svend," a Scandinavian given name derived from the Old Norse word for "youth" or "boy." 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 Svendsen (0.72 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 Americans have the surname Svendsen?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.