2000
#147,095
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Alvstad
A surname of Swedish origin likely derived from a place name, possibly referring to someone from a town or area called Alvstad.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Alvstad. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Alvstad surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Alvstad in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Alvstad, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (5.7%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Alvstad
The surname Alvstad is of Swedish origin, tracing its roots back to the late medieval period. It is derived from the Old Norse words "alv" meaning "river" and "stadr" meaning "place" or "homestead." This suggests that the name originally referred to a settlement or homestead located near a river or stream.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Alvstad can be found in historical records from the 16th century in the region of Värmland, located in west-central Sweden. One of the earliest documented individuals with this surname was Johan Alvstad, a farmer born in the village of Årjäng, Värmland, in 1572.
The name Alvstad is closely tied to the geographical area of Värmland, where several villages and localities bear variations of this name, such as Alvstadsäter and Alvstadsvik. These place names further reinforce the connection between the surname and its original meaning of "river homestead."
In the 17th century, the Alvstad name appears in various church records and tax registers from the Värmland region. Notable individuals from this era include Nils Alvstad, a landowner born in 1632, and Karin Alvstad, born in 1658, who is documented as one of the earliest female landowners in the area.
As the centuries progressed, the Alvstad surname spread beyond Värmland to other parts of Sweden, and a few individuals with this name achieved notable status. Erik Alvstad (1807-1879) was a respected educator and author who published several works on Swedish grammar and language instruction. Ingrid Alvstad (1876-1962) was a pioneering female journalist and activist who fought for women's rights and suffrage in Sweden.
Other historical figures bearing the Alvstad name include Carl Alvstad (1892-1976), a successful businessman and industrialist who founded a prominent manufacturing company, and Gustav Alvstad (1918-2001), a celebrated artist known for his landscape paintings depicting the Swedish countryside.
Throughout its history, the surname Alvstad has remained relatively uncommon, but its longevity and connections to specific regions of Sweden have solidified its place as a distinctly Swedish family name with deep roots in the country's cultural and linguistic heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Alvstad
Among Census respondents with the surname Alvstad, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (5.7%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Alvstad bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Alvstad surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.6% · 93
- American Indian and Alaska Native5.7% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 3
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Alvstad
Alvstad appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+12 bearers (+11.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,954 places
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-10 bearers (-8.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,848 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #147,095 | 103 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | +12 bearers (+11.7%) | Up 2,954 places |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-8.7%) | Down 8,848 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Alvstad surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #144,141 | #152,989 | -6.1% |
| Count | 115 | 105 | -8.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Alvstad bearers went from 115 to 105 (-8.7% change). The surname moved down 8,848 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #152,989.
FAQ
Alvstad surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Alvstad?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Alvstad. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Alvstad?
Alvstad ranks #152,989 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 105 people with the surname Alvstad. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Alvstad.
Has Alvstad become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Alvstad went from 115 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 10 (-8.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Alvstad?
Among Census respondents with the surname Alvstad, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (5.7%) and Hispanic (2.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Alvstad in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.6% (93 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Alvstad appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.6%), American Indian/Alaska Native (5.7%), Hispanic (2.9%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Alvstad (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Alvstad mean?
A surname of Swedish origin likely derived from a place name, possibly referring to someone from a town or area called Alvstad. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Alvstad (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Alvstad?
If you just want to know how common the surname Alvstad is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.