2000
#2,024
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,425
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.09
Uncommon Last name
Madsen
A Danish patronymic surname meaning "son of Mads," a shortened form of the given name Matthias.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 19,712 Americans carry the last name Madsen. That puts it at #2,054 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.75 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 17,388 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Madsen 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 Madsen with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
20K
1 in 17,388
Census rank
#2,054
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
17K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 17,190 bearers of the surname Madsen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.75 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2054th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Madsen, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Madsen
The surname Madsen originated in Denmark during the medieval period, deriving from the personal name Mads, which was a Danish form of the biblical name Matthew. The name Madsen literally means "son of Mads" and was a patronymic name, indicating the individual was the son of someone named Mads.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Madsen date back to the 13th century in various Danish records and chronicles. One notable early bearer of the name was Peder Madsen, a Danish clergyman who lived in the late 15th century and served as the Bishop of Roskilde from 1494 to 1509.
During the medieval and Renaissance periods, the name Madsen appeared in various forms and spellings, including Mathsen, Mathisson, and Matthisson, reflecting regional variations and spelling conventions of the time.
In the 16th century, a notable figure with the surname Madsen was Peder Madsen Bille, a Danish nobleman and military commander who played a significant role in the Scandinavian Seven Years' War against Sweden from 1563 to 1570.
Another prominent individual with the Madsen surname was Christian Madsen, a Danish astronomer and mathematician who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He was known for his work in improving the accuracy of astronomical observations and calculations.
In the 19th century, Jens Madsen, a Danish inventor and entrepreneur, gained recognition for his contributions to the development of early machine guns. He patented the Madsen light machine gun in 1902, which was widely used by various militaries during World War I and World War II.
A more recent figure with the Madsen surname was Viggo Madsen, a Danish-American actor born in 1904. He had a successful career in Hollywood, appearing in numerous films throughout the 1930s and 1940s, including "The Grapes of Wrath" and "Casablanca."
While the name Madsen has Danish origins, it has spread to other parts of the world, particularly through immigration and cultural exchange. Today, the surname Madsen can be found in various countries, with notable bearers contributing to various fields such as science, arts, and literature.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Madsen
Among Census respondents with the surname Madsen, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Madsen 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 Madsen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.6% · 15,739
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 587
- Two or more races3.1% · 540
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 171
- Black or African American0.5% · 85
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 68
Timeline
Historical Census data for Madsen
Madsen 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
#2,083
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,364
+939 bearers (+5.7%)
Per 100,000 5.89
Rank movement Down 59 places
2020
#2,054
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,190
-174 bearers (-1.0%)
Per 100,000 5.75
Rank movement Up 29 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,024 | 16,425 | 6.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,083 | 17,364 | 5.89 | +939 bearers (+5.7%) | Down 59 places |
| 2020 | #2,054 | 17,190 | 5.75 | -174 bearers (-1.0%) | Up 29 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 Madsen 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 | #2,083 | #2,054 | 1.4% |
| Count | 17,364 | 17,190 | -1.0% |
| Per 100K | 5.89 | 5.75 | -2.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Madsen bearers went from 17,364 to 17,190 (-1.0% change). The surname moved up 29 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,083 to #2,054.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Madsen
FAQ
Madsen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Madsen?
Name Census estimates that about 19,712 living Americans carry the surname Madsen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 17,388 residents.
How common is Madsen?
Madsen ranks #2,054 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.75 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 17,190 people with the surname Madsen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (19,712), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.75 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.75 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Madsen.
Has Madsen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Madsen went from 17,364 recorded bearers to 17,190. That is a decrease of 174 (-1.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,083 to #2,054.
What does the Census say about the background of Madsen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Madsen, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Madsen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (15,739 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Madsen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.6%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Madsen (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 Madsen mean?
A Danish patronymic surname meaning "son of Mads," a shortened form of the given name Matthias. 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 Madsen (5.75 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 share the surname Madsen?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.