2000
#149,328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Thygeson
A Danish surname derived from a place name or habitation name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Thygeson. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Thygeson 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Thygeson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Thygeson, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Thygeson
The surname Thygeson originated in Scandinavia, specifically in Denmark and Norway. It is believed to have derived from the Old Norse name "Þyggr" or "Þykki," which meant "thick" or "stout." The name may have been used as a descriptive nickname for someone with a sturdy or robust physique.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Danish Census of 1787, which lists a person named Jens Thygesen living in the town of Odense. The name also appears in Norwegian records from the late 18th century, with variations such as Thygessen and Thyggesen.
In the 19th century, the name Thygeson appeared in various historical documents, including church records and land registries. One notable individual was Christian Thygeson (1829-1901), a Norwegian-American Lutheran minister who served as the first president of Augsburg Seminary in Minneapolis.
Another notable bearer of the name was Jens Thygeson (1854-1940), a Norwegian immigrant to the United States who became a successful businessman and banker in Northfield, Minnesota. He was involved in various civic and philanthropic endeavors, including the establishment of a hospital in his adopted hometown.
In Denmark, the name Thygeson is associated with the village of Thygestrup, which is located in the region of Zealand. The name is thought to have originated from this place name, as it was common for surnames to be derived from the names of towns or villages.
Other individuals with the surname Thygeson who left their mark in history include:
1. Henrik Thygeson (1773-1853), a Danish architect known for his work on several churches and public buildings in Copenhagen.
2. Nils Thygeson (1879-1961), a Norwegian-American businessman and politician who served as the mayor of Albert Lea, Minnesota.
3. Ingrid Thygeson (1910-1988), a Norwegian author and children's book writer, best known for her series about the character "Lasse Liten."
4. Erik Thygeson (1921-2010), a Swedish-American ophthalmologist who made significant contributions to the study of eye diseases and corneal transplantation.
5. Bjørn Thygeson (born 1965), a Norwegian entrepreneur and co-founder of the software company Kongsberg Gruppen.
While the surname Thygeson has undergone various spelling variations over the centuries, its roots can be traced back to the Nordic regions, where it was initially used as a descriptive name or derived from a place name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Thygeson
Among Census respondents with the surname Thygeson, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Thygeson 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 Thygeson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.9% · 102
- Two or more races4.5% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.7% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Thygeson
Thygeson 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
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+19 bearers (+18.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 10,100 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-9 bearers (-7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,437 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #149,328 | 101 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | +19 bearers (+18.8%) | Up 10,100 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.5%) | Down 9,437 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 Thygeson 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 | #139,228 | #148,665 | -6.8% |
| Count | 120 | 111 | -7.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Thygeson bearers went from 120 to 111 (-7.5% change). The surname moved down 9,437 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #148,665.
FAQ
Thygeson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Thygeson?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Thygeson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Thygeson?
Thygeson ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Thygeson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Thygeson.
Has Thygeson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Thygeson went from 120 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 9 (-7.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Thygeson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Thygeson, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.7%). 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 Thygeson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Thygeson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.9%), Two or More Races (4.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.7%). 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 Thygeson (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 Thygeson mean?
A Danish surname derived from a place name or habitation name. 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 Thygeson (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 have the last name Thygeson?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Thygeson on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.