Lorentzen family

The Lorentzen family, also known in one branch as Bie-Lorentzen, is a Norwegian family of Danish ancestry whose documented history combines merchant activity, shipowning, industrial enterprise, and participation in Norwegian civic and public life. It is not a single corporation or consumer brand, but a family name shared by several related branches and by unrelated people in Denmark and Norway. The family is therefore best understood as a historical lineage rather than as a unified commercial organization. The family’s ancestry is traced to Hans Zachariassen, a merchant in Skælskør, Denmark, who died around 1643. His son, Hans Hanssøn Skielschøer, born in 1636, became a customs official and settled in Norway. Hans Hanssøn’s son Lorentz Hanssøn, born in 1668 and later a merchant in Holmestrand, established the line from which later branches developed. Two principal branches are associated with his sons Ole Lorentzen, a shipowner born in 1699, and Jørgen Lorentzen, a shipowner born in 1709. This early connection with maritime commerce helped establish the family’s long association with shipping in Norway. Over subsequent centuries, members of the family became shipowners and industrialists. Hans Ludvig Lorentzen, who lived from 1840 to 1905, was active as a shipowner in Holmestrand and Brazil. Øivind Lorentzen, who lived from 1881 to 1980, continued the family’s prominence in Norwegian shipping. Erik Finn Lorentzen, born in 1921 and deceased in 2010, was also a shipowner. These figures represent the family’s continuity in maritime enterprise across several generations, although the available reference material does not establish a single family-owned holding company or a unified corporate group. The most internationally visible industrial figure associated with the family was Erling Lorentzen, who lived from 1923 to 2021. He was a Norwegian-Brazilian industrialist and the founder of Aracruz Celulose, a major Brazilian pulp enterprise. His career extended the family’s business profile from shipping into industrial production and linked the Lorentzen name with Brazil as well as Norway. The available material identifies him as the company’s founder but does not provide sufficient information here to describe the company’s later ownership, financial performance, or corporate structure. The family also has a notable connection with the Norwegian royal household. Erling Lorentzen married Princess Ragnhild of Norway, the eldest daughter of King Olav V and Princess Märtha of Sweden. After the marriage, she was commonly styled Princess Ragnhild, Mrs. Lorentzen. This relationship made the Lorentzen name prominent in Norwegian public life, while not converting the family into a royal house or a formal commercial brand. Other notable members include Henriette Bie Lorentzen, who lived from 1911 to 2001 and was known as a Norwegian humanist and World War II resistance member. The double surname Bie-Lorentzen may appear with or without a hyphen, reflecting a distinct branch of the wider family. Because Lorentzen is also a common patronymic surname in Denmark and Norway, the family described in the canonical article should not be conflated with every person or family bearing the name. In brand-encyclopedia terms, the Lorentzen family has no identifiable product portfolio, flagship consumer offering, marketing program, public ticker, or single headquarters. Its historical significance rests instead on a multigenerational association with Norwegian shipping and industry, the overseas business career of Erling Lorentzen, and its connection to modern Norwegian public and royal history.

The Lorentzen family or Bie-Lorentzen is a Norwegian family of Danish origin. Its early ancestry is linked to Hans Zachariassen, a merchant in Skælskør who died around 1643. His son, Hans Hanssøn Skielschøer, was born in 1636, became a customs official, and settled in Norway. He was the father of Lorentz Hanssøn, born in 1668, who became a merchant in Holmestrand and died in 1723. The later family branches are associated with Lorentz Hanssøn’s sons Ole Lorentzen and Jørgen Lorentzen. Ole, born in 1699, and Jørgen, born in 1709, both became shipowners. Their careers helped establish the family’s long-running relationship with Norwegian maritime commerce. A branch of the family uses the double surname Bie-Lorentzen, written either with or without a hyphen. During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, several family members became prominent in shipping. Hans Ludvig Lorentzen, who lived from 1840 to 1905, was a shipowner in Holmestrand and Brazil. Øivind Lorentzen, who lived from 1881 to 1980, was a Norwegian shipowner, followed by Erik Finn Lorentzen, who lived from 1921 to 2010. The available material presents these individuals as notable members of a shipping-oriented family, but does not document a single continuous corporation controlling all of their activities. Erling Lorentzen, born in 1923 and deceased in 2021, broadened the family’s industrial profile. A Norwegian-Brazilian industrialist, he founded Aracruz Celulose in Brazil, linking the family’s history to the pulp and forestry industry. His business career made him one of the most prominent modern members of the family. The reference material does not provide enough detail to establish the full chronology of the company, its ownership history, or its later corporate development. The family became especially visible in Norwegian public life through Erling Lorentzen’s marriage to Princess Ragnhild of Norway. Princess Ragnhild, who lived from 1930 to 2012, was the eldest child of King Olav V of Norway and Princess Märtha of Sweden. Following her marriage, she was known publicly as Princess Ragnhild, Mrs. Lorentzen. This connection gave the family a close relationship with the Norwegian royal family, although it did not make the Lorentzen family a royal dynasty or a corporate group. Henriette Bie Lorentzen, who lived from 1911 to 2001, represented another dimension of the family’s public history. She was known as a Norwegian humanist and participant in the World War II resistance. The family’s historical profile consequently includes maritime business, industrial development, international activity, civic engagement, and royal association. Since Lorentzen is a common surname in Denmark and Norway, the canonical family article concerns a particular lineage and should not be assumed to include every person with the surname.

• 1930

  Princess Ragnhild born

  [1]Lorentzen familyen.wikipedia.org

  Princess Ragnhild of Norway was born as the eldest child of King Olav V and Princess Märtha of Sweden. After marrying Erling Lorentzen, she was known as Princess Ragnhild, Mrs. Lorentzen.

• 1923

  Erling Lorentzen born

  [1]Lorentzen familyen.wikipedia.org

  Erling Lorentzen was born. He later became a Norwegian-Brazilian industrialist and founded Aracruz Celulose.

• 1911

  Henriette Bie Lorentzen born

  [1]Lorentzen familyen.wikipedia.org

  Henriette Bie Lorentzen was born; she later became known as a Norwegian humanist and World War II resistance member.

• 1881

  Øivind Lorentzen born

  [1]Lorentzen familyen.wikipedia.org

  Øivind Lorentzen was born and later became a notable Norwegian shipowner.

• 1840

  Hans Ludvig Lorentzen born

  [1]Lorentzen familyen.wikipedia.org

  Hans Ludvig Lorentzen was born; he later operated as a shipowner in Holmestrand and Brazil.

• 1709

  Jørgen Lorentzen born

  [1]Lorentzen familyen.wikipedia.org

  Jørgen Lorentzen was born and later became a shipowner, representing the other principal branch identified in the family history.

• 1699

  Ole Lorentzen born

  [1]Lorentzen familyen.wikipedia.org

  Ole Lorentzen was born and later became a shipowner, representing one of the two principal branches descended from Lorentz Hanssøn.

• 1668

  Birth of Lorentz Hanssøn

  [1]Lorentzen familyen.wikipedia.org

  Lorentz Hanssøn was born and later became a merchant in Holmestrand, Norway, forming the link to the family branches associated with shipping.

• 1643

  Early documented ancestry

  [1]Lorentzen familyen.wikipedia.org

  Hans Zachariassen, a merchant in Skælskør, Denmark, died around this time and is identified as an early ancestor of the Lorentzen family.

• 1636

  Birth of Hans Hanssøn Skielschøer

  [1]Lorentzen familyen.wikipedia.org

  Hans Hanssøn Skielschøer was born and later settled in Norway, where he worked as a customs official.

A historical Norwegian family lineage associated with shipping, industrial enterprise, resistance activity, and public life rather than a unified commercial brand.

1. 1Lorentzen familyen.wikipedia.org