2000
#134,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Tennesen
A locational surname derived from a place name originating in Denmark or Norway.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Tennesen. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tennesen 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Tennesen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tennesen, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Black (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tennesen
The surname Tennesen originated in Scandinavia, particularly in Denmark and Norway, during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old Norse word "Thengill," which means "assemblyman" or "member of the legislative council." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this name were likely members of local governing bodies or held positions of authority in their communities.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Tennesen surname can be found in the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, a collection of ancient Norwegian documents dating back to the 13th century. The name is mentioned in reference to a nobleman named Thorstein Tennesen, who lived in the region of Trondheim in the late 12th century.
During the 14th century, the Tennesen name appeared in various records across Denmark and Norway, often associated with prominent families and landowners. One notable figure was Erik Tennesen, a Danish knight and landowner who lived in the mid-14th century on the island of Fyn.
In the 16th century, the Tennesen surname gained further prominence with the rise of Christian Tennesen Sehested, a Danish statesman and military commander who served under King Christian IV. Sehested played a crucial role in the Kalmar War against Sweden and was instrumental in the establishment of the Danish colonies in the West Indies.
Another significant figure bearing the Tennesen surname was Hans Tennesen Brinck, a Norwegian merchant and shipowner who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Brinck was a wealthy and influential trader, operating ships between Norway and various ports in Europe and the Mediterranean.
In the 18th century, the Tennesen name was associated with the renowned Norwegian theologian and philosopher, Johan Tennesen Lowzow. Born in 1718, Lowzow made significant contributions to the fields of ethics and moral philosophy, publishing several influential works during his lifetime.
As the centuries passed, the Tennesen surname continued to be carried by individuals from various walks of life, including artists, scholars, and professionals. One notable modern bearer of the name was the Danish architect and designer, Jørgen Tennesen Munksgaard, who lived from 1908 to 1991 and was renowned for his innovative furniture designs.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tennesen
Among Census respondents with the surname Tennesen, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Black (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Tennesen 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 Tennesen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 107
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 5
- Black or African American2.6% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tennesen
Tennesen 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-2 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,272 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+4 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,931 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,929 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 11,272 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.5%) | Up 1,931 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 Tennesen 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 | #146,201 | #144,270 | 1.3% |
| Count | 113 | 117 | 3.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tennesen bearers went from 113 to 117 (+3.5% change). The surname moved up 1,931 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #144,270.
FAQ
Tennesen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tennesen?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Tennesen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Tennesen?
Tennesen ranks #144,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 117 people with the surname Tennesen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Tennesen.
Has Tennesen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tennesen went from 113 recorded bearers to 117. That is an increase of 4 (+3.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #146,201 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Tennesen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tennesen, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Black (2.6%). 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 Tennesen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tennesen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Hispanic (4.3%), Black (2.6%). 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 Tennesen (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 Tennesen mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name originating in Denmark or 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 Tennesen (0.04 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 share the surname Tennesen?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.