2000
#9,733
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,065
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.14
Rare Last name
Thorsen
A patronymic surname of Scandinavian origin, meaning "son of Thor," derived from the Norse god of thunder.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,322 Americans carry the last name Thorsen. That puts it at #10,566 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.97 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 103,177 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Thorsen 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
3.3K
1 in 103,177
Census rank
#10,566
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,897 bearers of the surname Thorsen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.97 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10566th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Thorsen, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Thorsen
The surname Thorsen originates from Denmark and is a patronymic name, meaning "son of Thor." It is derived from the Old Norse name Thor, which was the name of the god of thunder in Norse mythology. The name first appeared in the Viking Age (793-1066 AD) in Scandinavia, particularly in Denmark and Norway.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Thorsen can be traced back to the 13th century in Danish and Norwegian medieval records and manuscripts. One of the earliest documented individuals with this surname was Thore Thorsen, a landowner from the village of Brønderslev in northern Denmark, who was mentioned in a land registry from 1268.
In the 14th century, the name Thorsen appeared in the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, a collection of medieval Norwegian diplomas and documents. One notable individual from this time period was Thorvald Thorsen, a Norwegian nobleman and landowner from the Trøndelag region, who was born around 1320.
During the 16th century, the name Thorsen was found in various parish records and census documents from Denmark and Norway. One prominent figure was Hans Thorsen, a Danish merchant and shipowner from Copenhagen, who lived from 1520 to 1592.
In the 17th century, the name Thorsen was associated with several notable individuals, including Ole Thorsen, a Norwegian clergyman and author who lived from 1612 to 1677, and Niels Thorsen, a Danish military officer and landowner from the island of Funen, who was born in 1634.
In the 18th century, the name Thorsen gained prominence with individuals such as Peter Thorsen, a Danish painter and artist who lived from 1722 to 1789, and Hans Christian Thorsen, a Norwegian merchant and ship owner from Bergen, who was born in 1745.
The 19th century saw the name Thorsen continue to be prevalent in Scandinavia, with individuals like Thorvald Thorsen, a Norwegian explorer and Arctic researcher who lived from 1838 to 1901, and Niels Thorsen, a Danish architect and builder who designed several notable buildings in Copenhagen in the latter half of the 19th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Thorsen
Among Census respondents with the surname Thorsen, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Thorsen 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 Thorsen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.1% · 2,669
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 102
- Two or more races3.0% · 86
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 11
- Black or African American0.3% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Thorsen
Thorsen 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
#10,324
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,121
+56 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 1.06
Rank movement Down 591 places
2020
#10,566
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,897
-224 bearers (-7.2%)
Per 100,000 0.97
Rank movement Down 242 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,733 | 3,065 | 1.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,324 | 3,121 | 1.06 | +56 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 591 places |
| 2020 | #10,566 | 2,897 | 0.97 | -224 bearers (-7.2%) | Down 242 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 Thorsen 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 | #10,324 | #10,566 | -2.3% |
| Count | 3,121 | 2,897 | -7.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.06 | 0.97 | -8.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Thorsen bearers went from 3,121 to 2,897 (-7.2% change). The surname moved down 242 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,324 to #10,566.
FAQ
Thorsen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Thorsen?
Name Census estimates that about 3,322 living Americans carry the surname Thorsen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 103,177 residents.
How common is Thorsen?
Thorsen ranks #10,566 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.97 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,897 people with the surname Thorsen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,322), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.97 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.97 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Thorsen.
Has Thorsen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Thorsen went from 3,121 recorded bearers to 2,897. That is a decrease of 224 (-7.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,324 to #10,566.
What does the Census say about the background of Thorsen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Thorsen, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Thorsen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (2,669 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Thorsen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.1%), Hispanic (3.5%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Thorsen (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 Thorsen mean?
A patronymic surname of Scandinavian origin, meaning "son of Thor," derived from the Norse god of thunder. 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 Thorsen (0.97 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 common is the surname Thorsen?
Want to know how many people are called Thorsen? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.