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

Thomsen, 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 Thomsen surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Thomsen in America

Thomsen is the 4635th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Thomsen surname appeared 7,654 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Thomsen.

We can also compare 2010 data for Thomsen 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 Thomsen

The surname Thomsen originates from Denmark, where it first appeared in the late 15th century. It is a patronymic name, derived from the given name Thomas, which itself comes from the Aramaic word for "twin." The suffix "-sen" was commonly added to denote "son of" in Scandinavian naming traditions.

Thomsen is believed to have roots in the Danish town of Tommerup, located on the island of Funen. Early records show variations like Thomissen and Tommesen, reflecting the regional dialects and spelling conventions of the time. One of the earliest known bearers was Jens Thomsen, a farmer mentioned in a 1487 land registry from Odense.

During the medieval period, the name Thomsen appeared sporadically in various Danish chronicles and church records. Notably, a Niels Thomsen was listed as a resident of Roskilde in the 1538 census ordered by King Christian III. In the 17th century, the variant Thomasen gained popularity among Danish nobility.

Among the notable historical figures with the surname Thomsen are Hans Thomsen (1576-1643), a Danish astronomer and mathematician who made significant contributions to the study of comets and planetary motions. Another prominent bearer was Vilhelm Thomsen (1842-1927), a linguist and pioneer in the field of Turkic studies.

In the 19th century, the name Thomsen gained wider recognition with individuals like Hans Peter Jørgen Julius Thomsen (1826-1909), a renowned Danish chemist who formulated the Thomsen-Berthelot principle in thermochemistry. Carl August Thomsen (1836-1890) was a Danish architect responsible for designing several iconic buildings in Copenhagen, including the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek museum.

The Thomsen name also crossed borders, with notable bearers like Christian Jürgensen Thomsen (1788-1865), a Danish archaeologist and the founder of modern scientific archaeology. His work on the Three-Age System laid the foundation for understanding prehistoric cultures based on their technological advancements.

While the Thomsen surname originated in Denmark, it has since spread to other parts of Scandinavia and beyond, carried by Danish emigrants and their descendants. The name continues to hold a strong presence in its homeland and serves as a reminder of Denmark's rich cultural heritage.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Thomsen

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

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

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

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