2000
#572
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 52,963
First available Census row
Per 100,000 19.63
Uncommon Last name
Larsen
A patronymic surname of Scandinavian origin meaning "son of Lars" or "son of Laurence."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 63,339 Americans carry the last name Larsen. That puts it at #593 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 18.48 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 5,411 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Larsen 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Larsen with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
63K
1 in 5,411
Census rank
#593
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
18.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
55K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 55,235 bearers of the surname Larsen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 18.48 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 593rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Larsen, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Larsen
The surname Larsen is of Danish origin and is a patronymic name, derived from the personal name Lars. Lars itself is a Scandinavian form of the name Laurentius, which is derived from the Latin name Laurentius, meaning "from Laurentum" or "man from Laurentum". Laurentum was an ancient city in Italy, located near the modern-day town of Tor Pignattara.
The name Larsen first appeared in Denmark during the Middle Ages, when patronymic surnames became common. It indicated that the bearer was the son of a man named Lars. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in Danish parish records from the 16th and 17th centuries.
One notable historical figure with the surname Larsen was Hans Larsen Mink (1533-1593), a Danish admiral and naval hero who fought against the Swedish navy during the Northern Seven Years' War. He is credited with winning several crucial battles and preventing a Swedish invasion of Denmark.
Another prominent Larsen was Jacob Larsen (1828-1918), a Norwegian-American artist who is considered one of the most influential painters of the Golden Age of American landscape painting. His works, such as "The White Mountains" and "Autumn in New England", are highly regarded for their accurate depictions of the American wilderness.
In the literary world, Karen Larsen (1899-1988) was a Danish author and playwright known for her novels and short stories that explored themes of feminism and social issues. Her works, including "The Staircase" and "The Burning Bush", were widely acclaimed and translated into several languages.
Jens Larsen (1902-1988) was a Danish architect who played a significant role in the development of functionalist architecture in Denmark. He designed several notable buildings, including the Bellahøj Housing Estate in Copenhagen, which is considered a masterpiece of Danish functionalist architecture.
Knud Larsen (1865-1922) was a Danish explorer and naval officer who led several expeditions to Greenland and the Arctic regions. He is best known for his successful mapping and exploration of the northeast coast of Greenland, which was previously uncharted territory.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Larsen
Among Census respondents with the surname Larsen, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Larsen 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 Larsen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.0% · 50,286
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 1,992
- Two or more races3.3% · 1,832
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 473
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 328
- Black or African American0.6% · 324
Timeline
Historical Census data for Larsen
Larsen 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
#606
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 55,960
+2,997 bearers (+5.7%)
Per 100,000 18.97
Rank movement Down 34 places
2020
#593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 55,235
-725 bearers (-1.3%)
Per 100,000 18.48
Rank movement Up 13 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #572 | 52,963 | 19.63 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #606 | 55,960 | 18.97 | +2,997 bearers (+5.7%) | Down 34 places |
| 2020 | #593 | 55,235 | 18.48 | -725 bearers (-1.3%) | Up 13 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 Larsen 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 | #606 | #593 | 2.1% |
| Count | 55,960 | 55,235 | -1.3% |
| Per 100K | 18.97 | 18.48 | -2.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Larsen bearers went from 55,960 to 55,235 (-1.3% change). The surname moved up 13 positions in the national ranking, going from #606 to #593.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Larsen
FAQ
Larsen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Larsen?
Name Census estimates that about 63,339 living Americans carry the surname Larsen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 5,411 residents.
How common is Larsen?
Larsen ranks #593 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 18.48 per 100,000 residents, which is about 18 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 55,235 people with the surname Larsen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (63,339), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 18.48 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 18.48 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 18 of them to have the surname Larsen.
Has Larsen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Larsen went from 55,960 recorded bearers to 55,235. That is a decrease of 725 (-1.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #606 to #593.
What does the Census say about the background of Larsen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Larsen, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Larsen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (50,286 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Larsen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.0%), Hispanic (3.6%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Larsen (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 Larsen mean?
A patronymic surname of Scandinavian origin meaning "son of Lars" or "son of Laurence." 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 Larsen (18.48 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 Larsen?
You can see how many people have the last name Larsen on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.