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

Ahlquist, 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 Ahlquist surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ahlquist in America

Ahlquist is the 22113th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ahlquist surname appeared 1,170 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 Ahlquist.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ahlquist 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.

The history of the last name Ahlquist

The surname Ahlquist originates from Sweden and can be traced back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Old Swedish words "ahl" meaning alder tree and "qvist" meaning branch or twig, making it an occupational name for someone who worked as a basket maker or wicker worker.

In the early years, the name was often spelled as Ahlqwist or Alqvist, reflecting the variations in spelling and pronunciation common during that time. The earliest known record of the name appears in the parish records of Örebro County, Sweden, dated 1587, where a man named Olof Ahlquist is mentioned.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Ahlquist name became more widespread across Sweden, particularly in the central and southern regions. Notable individuals bearing this surname include Johan Ahlquist (1756-1823), a Swedish writer and philosopher, and Johan Ahlquist (1837-1900), a Swedish linguist and researcher of the Finno-Ugric languages.

As Swedish emigrants began to settle in other parts of the world, such as North America, the Ahlquist name traveled with them. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in the United States is found in the 1860 census, where a Swedish immigrant named Carl Ahlquist is listed as residing in Illinois.

Other notable individuals with the Ahlquist surname include August Ahlquist (1836-1900), a Swedish-American artist and painter, known for his landscape paintings of the American West. Emanuel Ahlquist (1827-1901) was a Swedish-American Lutheran minister and educator who played a significant role in establishing several Lutheran congregations and educational institutions in Illinois.

In Sweden, the name Ahlquist has been associated with various professions, including academics, artists, and businessmen. One example is Anders Ahlquist (1945-2009), a Swedish business executive who served as the CEO of several major companies, including SCA and Skanska.

While the Ahlquist surname may not be as common as some other Swedish surnames, it has a rich history and has been carried by individuals who have made significant contributions in various fields over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ahlquist

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

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 Ahlquist was:

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 Ahlquist has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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 Ahlquist was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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