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

Tangen, 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 Tangen surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tangen in America

Tangen is the 19933rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tangen surname appeared 1,346 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 Tangen.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tangen 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 Tangen

The surname Tangen has its origins in Norway. It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century. The name is derived from the Old Norse word "tangi," which means a tongue of land or a promontory jutting out into a body of water. This suggests that the name likely originated as a topographic surname, describing a person who lived on or near such a geographical feature.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Tangen can be found in the Norwegian Diplomatarium, a collection of medieval charters and documents from Norway. In a document dated 1343, a man named Thorstein Tangen is mentioned as a witness to a land transaction in the region of Trøndelag.

The name Tangen has also been associated with various place names across Norway. For instance, the village of Tangen in the municipality of Kristiansand, which dates back to the 16th century, is thought to have derived its name from the local geography. Similarly, the farm Tangen in the municipality of Rælingen has existed since at least the 17th century.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Tangen. One such person was Hans Tangen (1592-1666), a Norwegian merchant and shipowner who played a significant role in the establishment of the city of Kristiansand. Another was Nils Tangen (1818-1889), a Norwegian priest and author who wrote several books on the history and culture of the Telemark region.

In the 20th century, Olav Tangen (1901-1986) was a prominent Norwegian businessman and philanthropist. He founded the Tangen Shipping Company and later established the Tangen Foundation, which supports various charitable causes. Erik Tangen (1911-1993) was a Norwegian politician and diplomat who served as the country's ambassador to several nations, including the United States and the United Kingdom.

More recently, Kjell Inge Røkke (born 1958), a Norwegian billionaire and one of the wealthiest individuals in the country, was born with the surname Tangen before changing it later in life. His early success in the shipping industry can be traced back to his roots with the surname Tangen.

While the surname Tangen has its roots in Norway, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and intermarriage. However, its historical significance and connection to the rugged Norwegian landscape remain an integral part of its etymology and cultural heritage.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tangen

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

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

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

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