Aarestad last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Aarestad is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Aarestad.

Meaning of Aarestad

A toponymic surname derived from a place name in Norway, likely referring to a family's ancestral farm or estate.

Aarestad, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Aarestad surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Aarestad in America

Aarestad is the 94311th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Aarestad surname appeared 194 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Aarestad.

We can also compare 2010 data for Aarestad to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 94311 104819 -10.55%
Count 194 158 20.45%
Proportion per 100k 0.07 0.06 15.38%

The history of the last name Aarestad

The surname Aarestad originates from Norway. It is believed to have emerged in the 13th century as a locational name, derived from the Old Norse words "ár" meaning "river" and "staðr" meaning "place" or "farm". This suggests that the name likely referred to a family or individual residing near a river or stream.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Aarestad can be found in the Norwegian census records of 1593, where it appears as "Aarestadr". This spelling variation highlights the evolution of the name over time, reflecting the influence of regional dialects and pronunciations.

In the 17th century, the name Aarestad is documented in the parish records of Telemark, a region in southern Norway known for its picturesque landscapes and traditional farming communities. This area was likely the ancestral homeland for many families bearing this surname.

Notable individuals with the surname Aarestad include Nils Aarestad (1612-1679), a prominent landowner and farmer in the Telemark region, whose name is documented in local tax records. Another significant figure was Ingrid Aarestad (1745-1823), a renowned weaver and artisan whose intricate textiles were highly sought after throughout Norway.

The name also found its way into historical literature, with a character named Aarestad appearing in the 19th-century novel "Sogneprestens Døtre" (The Vicar's Daughters) by Norwegian author Camilla Collett. This fictional portrayal suggests that the name had gained recognition and cultural significance within Norwegian society by that time.

Aarestad is also the name of a small village located in the municipality of Birkenes, in the county of Agder, southern Norway. This place name likely originated from the surname itself, reflecting the close ties between family names and geographical locations in Norway's history.

Among other notable individuals with the surname Aarestad are Knut Aarestad (1879-1959), a Norwegian politician and member of the Storting (the Norwegian parliament), and Ingrid Aarestad (1898-1982), a celebrated Norwegian actress and theater director who performed in numerous productions throughout the early 20th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Aarestad

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Aarestad.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Aarestad was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 97.94% 190
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races (S)% (S)
Hispanic Origin 0.00% 0

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Aarestad has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 97.94% 96.84% 1.13%
Black 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Two or More Races (S)% (S)% (S)%
Hispanic 0.00% (S)% (S)%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Aarestad was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Aarestad, please contact us.

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Aarestad last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on April 18, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/aarestad-surname-popularity/.

"Aarestad last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/aarestad-surname-popularity/. Accessed 18 April, 2025

Aarestad last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/aarestad-surname-popularity/.

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