The Thelen surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 5,657 people carried this name — #6,065 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 52,100 people counted. That is up 11% from 5,089 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Thelen surname

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a baptismal name, from a given name: ‘the son of Llewelyn’.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 743 · public domain.

In Belgium’s population register

At least 156 people named Thelen live in Belgium.

Statbel only publishes a name in a municipality when five or more people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Liège.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they live today

Liège 156

Statbel (Statistics Belgium), family names of the population by municipality, 1 January 2026 — CC BY 4.0.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 46 people named Thelen.

7 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 13 départements, most often Moselle.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 7
Moselle 8
Paris 7
Territoire de Belfort 5
Meurthe-et-Moselle 5
Nord 4
Haute-Savoie 2
Alpes-Maritimes 2
Loiret 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

30 people named Thelen live in Switzerland.

They live in 3 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Zurich 21
Lucerne 5
Bern 4

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In the Nordic population registers

52 people named Thelen is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 52

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).

In print

Thelen in American newspapers,
1912–1925.

Newspaper page from Stern Des Westlichen Ohio = Star Of Western Ohio carrying the name Thelen
Stern Des Westlichen Ohio = Star Of Western Ohio 1912-02-29
Newspaper page from The Washington Times carrying the name Thelen
The Washington Times 1918-06-05
Newspaper page from The Milwaukee Leader carrying the name Thelen
The Milwaukee Leader 1925-10-02

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 6,861 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Thelen in Australian newspapers,
1910s–1940s.

20 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Thelen. The most, 4, date from the 1910s.

Articles, by state

Victoria 7
New South Wales 6
ACT (Canberra) 3
Western Australia 3
Tasmania 1

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Thelen.

Who carried it

People named Thelen,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Max Thelen
    Max Thelen 1880–1972 · lawyer
  • Beatrice Thelen d. 1992
  • Louise Thelen 1831–1904 · singer
  • Albert Vigoleis Thelen 1903–1989 · writer
  • Fritz Thelen 1903–1965 · association football coach
  • Fritz Thelen 1906–1993 · composer

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 8 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Thelen,
in the records of 7 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States326 records

326 records of the Thelen name in the United States
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 138
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 74
  • Other U.S. records 114
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Lester J. Thelen

    Born 1915 in Wisconsin. Enlisted 1942 at Milwaukee; machine shop worker from Calumet County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1997, buried at Holy Rosary Cemetery, New Holstein, Wisconsin.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Catharine Thelen

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Pennland from Antwerp, aged 21; laborer. From Herresbag, Germany; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Le Roy Edmund Thelen

    Born 1950; from Glenbeulah, Wisconsin. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1970 in Binh Dinh, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)

Showing 3 of 326 records for Thelen in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain).

Netherlands880 records

880 records of the Thelen name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 653
  • Dutch population registers 219
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 8
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Anton Joseph Thelen

    Married in 1917 in Kerkrade; miner. Died 1941 in Heerlen.

    Open Archives, Regionaal Historisch Centrum Limburg (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Jan Mathijs Thelen

    Married in 1903 in Kerkrade; farmer. Died 1949 in Kerkrade, aged 76.

    Open Archives, Gemeentearchief Kerkrade (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Elisabeth Antonia Thelen

    Born 1887 in 's-Hertogenbosch. Died 1887 in 's-Hertogenbosch.

    Open Archives, Brabants Historisch Informatie Centrum (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 880 records for Thelen in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Germany635 records

635 records of the Thelen name in Germany
  • Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919 634
  • German emigration and citizenship files 1
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Mathias Thelen

    Born 1893; from Vogelheim. Listed as returned from captivity in the Prussian casualty list of 2 August 1916; then reported taken prisoner in the list of 30 December 1916 (Infantry Regiment No. 148).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Civil record Johann Adrian Thelen

    Naturalised in 1895.

    Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek / Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg (CC0)
  3. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Leonhard Thelen

    Born 1883; from Hillesheim, Trier. Reported dead in the Prussian casualty list of 3 January 1917.

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Showing 3 of 635 records for Thelen in Germany.

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0) · Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

France19 records

19 records of the Thelen name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Marguerite Victorine Juliette Thelen

    Born 1905 in Paris; died 1977 in Dreux (Eure-et-Loir).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Jean Paul Desire Thelen

    Born 1925 in Lille (Nord); died 1978 in Drap (Alpes-Maritimes).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  3. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Jocelyne Carmen Thelen

    Born 1957 in Belfort; died 1994 in Belfort (Territoire de Belfort).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 3 of 19 records for Thelen in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Belgium4 records

4 records of the Thelen name in Belgium
  • Belgian civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 3
  • Belgian population registers 1
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Guillaume Thelen

    Died 1914 in Gent.

    Open Archives, Archief Gent (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Marie Christine Thelen

    In the population register of Aalst; born 1837 in Kalderkirchen Prusse.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Aalst (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Jean Thelen

    Married in 1912 in Gent.

    Open Archives, Archief Gent (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 4 records for Thelen in Belgium.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Canada2 records

2 records of the Thelen name in Canada City of Calgary cemetery records
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Jane Catherine Thelen

    Buried in 1973 at St. Mary's Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 91.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.

Showing 1 of 2 records for Thelen in Canada.

Counts: City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

Australia1 record

1 record of the Thelen name in Australia Queensland State Archives indexes
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Heinrich Thelen

    Arrived in Queensland in 1864 aboard the Fusilier, aged 18.

    Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Thelen.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Thelen is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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