2000
#143,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Thorlakson
A patronymic surname indicating the person is a son of someone named Thorlak or Thorlakur.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Thorlakson. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Thorlakson 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Thorlakson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Thorlakson, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.9%) and Hispanic (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Thorlakson
The surname Thorlakson originated in Iceland during the Viking Age, which spanned from the late 8th century to the late 11th century. It is a patronymic surname, meaning it is derived from the given name of a father or ancestor. In this case, Thorlakson is derived from the Old Norse name Þorlákr, which is composed of the elements "þor" meaning "thunder" and "lákr" meaning "stream" or "brook."
The earliest known record of the name Thorlakson can be found in the Icelandic Sagas, which are a collection of literary works written in the 13th and 14th centuries. One notable example is Þorláksson, a 12th-century Icelandic bishop and saint, who played a significant role in the Christianization of Iceland.
Throughout the centuries, the surname Thorlakson has been recorded with various spellings, such as Thorlaksson, Thorlaksen, and Thorlackson. These variations can be attributed to the different languages and dialects used in different regions where people with this surname settled.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Thorlakson was Gisli Thorlakson (c. 1210 – c. 1268), an Icelandic lawspeaker and chieftain who served as the lawspeaker of the Icelandic Commonwealth from 1258 to 1268.
Another notable figure with this surname was Guðbrandur Þorláksson (1542 – 1627), an Icelandic priest and author who wrote several religious works, including a translation of the Bible into Icelandic.
In the 19th century, Jón Thorlaksson (1877 – 1935) was an Icelandic writer and journalist who published several novels and short stories, many of which explored the lives of Icelandic farmers and fishermen.
Sigurður Thorlaksson (1889 – 1957) was an Icelandic politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iceland from 1939 to 1941.
More recently, Sigurður Þórarinsson Thorlaksson (1912 – 1994) was an Icelandic geologist and volcanologist who made significant contributions to the study of volcanic activity in Iceland.
While the surname Thorlakson has its roots in Iceland, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to immigration and migration patterns. However, its origins can be traced back to the Viking Age and the Old Norse language, reflecting the rich cultural heritage of Iceland.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Thorlakson
Among Census respondents with the surname Thorlakson, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.9%) and Hispanic (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Thorlakson 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 Thorlakson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.0% · 98
- Two or more races7.9% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Thorlakson
Thorlakson 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
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,922 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+8 bearers (+7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,274 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #143,847 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 9,922 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.5%) | Up 7,274 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 Thorlakson 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 | #153,769 | #146,495 | 4.7% |
| Count | 106 | 114 | 7.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Thorlakson bearers went from 106 to 114 (+7.5% change). The surname moved up 7,274 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #146,495.
FAQ
Thorlakson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Thorlakson?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Thorlakson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Thorlakson?
Thorlakson ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Thorlakson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Thorlakson.
Has Thorlakson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Thorlakson went from 106 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 8 (+7.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #153,769 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Thorlakson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Thorlakson, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.9%) and Hispanic (4.4%). 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 Thorlakson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.0% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Thorlakson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.0%), Two or More Races (7.9%), Hispanic (4.4%). 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 Thorlakson (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 Thorlakson mean?
A patronymic surname indicating the person is a son of someone named Thorlak or Thorlakur. 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 Thorlakson (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 are called Thorlakson?
If you just want to know how many people are called Thorlakson, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.