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

Therkildsen, 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 Therkildsen surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Therkildsen in America

Therkildsen is the 84136th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Therkildsen surname appeared 223 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 Therkildsen.

We can also compare 2010 data for Therkildsen 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 Therkildsen

The surname Therkildsen is of Danish origin, derived from the Old Norse personal name Þorkildr, which is a compound of the elements þórr (the name of the Norse god of thunder) and kildr (meaning "kettle" or "cauldron"). This name was particularly prevalent in the regions of Denmark and southern Scandinavia during the Viking Age and medieval period.

One of the earliest recorded instances of this surname can be found in the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, a collection of medieval Norwegian diplomas and documents dating back to the 13th century. In this collection, there is a reference to a man named "Therkillus de Hamre" from the year 1308, indicating the use of the name Therkildsen (or a similar spelling variant) during that time.

Another notable historical reference comes from the Icelandic Sagas, where a character named Þorkell is mentioned in the Laxdæla saga, which is believed to have been written in the 13th or 14th century. This saga recounts events that took place in the 10th and 11th centuries, further solidifying the ancient roots of the name.

In the 15th century, a Danish nobleman named Therkild Bryske (1415-1470) was a prominent figure in the court of King Christian I of Denmark. He served as a trusted advisor and held various influential positions, demonstrating the use of the name among the Danish nobility during that era.

Another historical figure bearing this surname was Niels Therkildsen (1641-1693), a Danish naval officer and Admiral in the Danish-Norwegian navy. He played a significant role in several naval battles during the Scanian War between Denmark and Sweden in the late 17th century.

In the 19th century, a Norwegian writer and journalist named Hans Therkildsen (1835-1889) made a name for himself as the editor of the newspaper Christianssands Stiftstidende and as the author of several books and plays.

It's important to note that the spelling and pronunciation of this surname have evolved over time, with variations such as Therkelsen, Therkelsen, Terkildsen, and Terkelsen also existing in various regions where Danes and Scandinavians settled.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Therkildsen

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

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

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

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