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

Yorgensen, 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 Yorgensen surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Yorgensen in America

Yorgensen is the 117480th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Yorgensen surname appeared 148 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 Yorgensen.

We can also compare 2010 data for Yorgensen 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 Yorgensen

Yorgensen is a surname with roots traced back to Scandinavian countries, specifically Denmark and Norway. The name is patronymic in origin, meaning it was derived from the given name of an ancestor. In this case, Yorgensen translates to "son of Jørgen." Jørgen itself is a Scandinavian variant of the name George, which originates from the Greek name Georgios, meaning "farmer" or "earthworker."

The surname Yorgensen likely emerged during the medieval period, a time when patronymic surnames became common in Scandinavia as populations grew and the need to differentiate between individuals increased. The spelling Yorgensen could be observed in regions with a strong Danish or Norwegian influence, particularly rural settlements where farming was predominant.

One of the oldest recorded instances of a similar surname is found in Danish historical records from the early 16th century, where a Hans Jørgensen is noted in a land transaction document dated 1512. This indicates that the practice of adopting patronymic surnames based on one's father's name was well established by this time.

Over the centuries, the surname Yorgensen has appeared in various church and legal documents across Denmark and Norway. In the 17th century, records from Bergen, Norway, mention a merchant named Peder Jørgensen who lived from 1635 to 1702. His involvement in local trade highlights the spread of the surname beyond agrarian communities into urban centers.

In the 18th century, perhaps the most notable bearer of the surname was Niels Jørgensen, a Danish naval officer born in 1723 and serving in the Royal Danish Navy. His contributions to naval strategies during the Dano-Swedish War of 1788-1790 were documented in military annals of the time, showcasing the name in a prominent historical context.

Entering the 19th century, a notable individual was Hans Christian Jørgensen, a prominent figure in Danish education, born in 1803. He was instrumental in reforming the Danish educational system, with his written works and proposed reforms gaining widespread acceptance throughout Denmark by mid-century.

By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the surname Yorgensen had crossed the Atlantic with Scandinavian immigrants settling in America. One such person was Erik Yorgensen, born in 1875, a Norwegian immigrant who became a well-known carpenter and community leader in Minnesota, USA. His efforts in building and contributing to the local Scandinavian community were well documented in local Scandinavian-American publications of the era.

Yorgensen, firmly grounded in its Scandinavian roots, continues to be a surname that speaks to the history, culture, and migration patterns of the Danish and Norwegian peoples, carrying with it stories of farmers, merchants, naval officers, educators, and immigrants.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Yorgensen

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

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

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

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