Find out how popular the last name Thorsteinson is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Thorsteinson.
A patronymic surname indicating one's father was named Thorstein, a compound name meaning "Thor's stone".
Thorsteinson, 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 Thorsteinson surname is from the 2010 census data.
Thorsteinson is the 90113th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Thorsteinson surname appeared 205 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 Thorsteinson.
We can also compare 2010 data for Thorsteinson 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.
| 2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | 90113 | 89172 | 1.05% |
| Count | 205 | 193 | 6.03% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.07 | 0.07 | 0.00% |
The surname Thorsteinson originates from Scandinavia, primarily from Norway and Iceland, and dates back to the Viking era (793-1066 AD). The name is a patronymic, meaning it is derived from the given name of the father or an ancestor. In this case, Thorsteinson means 'son of Thorstein', where 'Thor' refers to the Norse god of thunder and 'stein' means stone.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in ancient Norse sagas and manuscripts, such as the Icelandic Sagas, which were written in the 13th and 14th centuries. These sagas often mention individuals with the surname Thorsteinson or variations like Thorsteinsson, Thorstenson, or Thorsteinsson.
One notable historical figure with this surname was Thorstein Thorsteinson, a Norwegian Viking who participated in the settlement of Iceland in the 9th century. He is mentioned in the Landnámabók, an Icelandic book of settlements, as one of the first settlers in the region of Mýrar in western Iceland.
Another prominent individual was Thorstein Thorsteinson the Old, a Norwegian chieftain and lawspeaker who lived in the 10th century. He played a significant role in the establishment of the Icelandic Commonwealth and is mentioned in the Heimskringla, a collection of sagas written by the famous Icelandic scholar Snorri Sturluson.
In the 11th century, Thorstein Thorsteinson the Younger, a Norwegian-Icelandic chieftain and lawspeaker, was a prominent figure in Icelandic politics and is mentioned in the Sturlunga saga, a collection of sagas focusing on the Sturlung era in Iceland.
Another notable individual was Thorstein Thorsteinson Frida, a Norwegian chieftain and landowner who lived in the 12th century. He is mentioned in the Fagrskinna, a Norwegian kings' saga, for his involvement in the civil war between King Sverre Sigurdsson and the Birchlegs.
In the 13th century, Thorstein Thorsteinson the Younger, an Icelandic chieftain and lawspeaker, played a significant role in the Age of the Sturlungs, a period of internal conflict in Iceland. He is mentioned in the Sturlunga saga and the Íslendinga saga, another collection of Icelandic sagas.
We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Thorsteinson.
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:
For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Thorsteinson was:
| Race/Ethnicity | Percentage | Total Occurrences |
|---|---|---|
| Non-Hispanic White Only | 90.24% | 185 |
| Non-Hispanic Black Only | (S)% | (S) |
| Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only | 5.85% | 12 |
| Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.00% | 0 |
| Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races | (S)% | (S) |
| Hispanic Origin | 2.93% | 6 |
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 Thorsteinson has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.
| 2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 90.24% | 96.37% | -6.57% |
| Black | (S)% | 0.00% | (S)% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 5.85% | (S)% | (S)% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Two or More Races | (S)% | (S)% | (S)% |
| Hispanic | 2.93% | (S)% | (S)% |
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 Thorsteinson was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.
If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Thorsteinson, please contact us.
We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.
If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!
<a href="https://namecensus.com/last-names/thorsteinson-surname-popularity/">Thorsteinson last name popularity, history, and meaning</a>
Search for a first or last name to learn more about its origin, meaning, and more.
Simple as that.