Explore the Family Name Michaelsen

The meaning of Michaelsen

Danish, Norwegian, and North German: patronymic from the personal name Michael. Some characteristic forenames: Scandinavian Helle, Kerstin, Knud, Niels. German Dieter, Erwin, Fritz, Hans.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Michaelsen in the United States?

The popularity of the surname Michaelsen, based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, has seen a slight decline over time. In 2000, it ranked as the 28,256th most common surname, with 797 individuals carrying the name. By 2010, its rank had dropped to 30,916, and the count decreased to 752 people, representing a decrease of 5.65% in the total number of people with this surname. The proportion of individuals named Michaelsen per 100,000 also declined by 16.67%, from 0.3 in 2000 to 0.25 in 2010.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#28,256	#30,916	-9.41%
Count	797	752	-5.65%
Proportion per 100k	0.3	0.25	-16.67%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Michaelsen

In terms of ethnicity, the census data showed some changes among individuals with the Michaelsen surname. The majority identified as White, with 96.86% in 2000 and 95.21% in 2010, showing a minor decline of 1.7%. There was an increase in the percentage identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander, from 0.75% in 2000 to 1.06% in 2010, a change of 41.33%. Those reporting two or more races also increased significantly, from 0.75% to 1.6%, a change of 113.33%. The Hispanic representation also grew, from 0.88% to 1.2%, an increase of 36.36%. There were no Black individuals with this surname reported in either year, while those identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native appeared for the first time in the 2010 census at 0.93%.

	2000	2010	Change
White	96.86%	95.21%	-1.7%
Two or More Races	0.75%	1.6%	113.33%
Hispanic	0.88%	1.2%	36.36%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0.75%	1.06%	41.33%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0.93%	0%
Black	0%	0%	0%