2000
#4,896
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,589
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.44
Rare Last name
Amundson
Derived from the Old Norse personal name Ámundi, composed of the elements á "fierce" and mund "protection."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,166 Americans carry the last name Amundson. That puts it at #5,389 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 47,831 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Amundson 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
7.2K
1 in 47,831
Census rank
#5,389
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,249 bearers of the surname Amundson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5389th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Amundson, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Amundson
The surname Amundson has its origins in Scandinavia, particularly in Norway and Sweden. It is a patronymic name, meaning it was derived from the first name of the father or ancestor. The name Amundson is composed of the Old Norse personal name Amundr, which is a compound name formed from the elements "anu" (ancestor) and "mundr" (protector). The addition of "-son" at the end of the name indicates that it is a patronymic surname.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Amundson can be traced back to the 13th and 14th centuries in Norway and Sweden. During this time, the use of hereditary surnames was becoming more widespread, and patronymic names were particularly common in Scandinavian countries. The name Amundson likely originated from rural areas where families adopted surnames based on their father's or ancestor's first name.
In medieval records, such as the Icelandic sagas and Norwegian diplomas, there are mentions of individuals with the name Amundson or variations of it, such as Amundsson or Amundsen. One notable historical figure was Roald Amundsen (1872-1928), the Norwegian explorer who was the first person to reach the South Pole in 1911.
Other notable individuals with the surname Amundson include:
1. Olav Amundson (1844-1921), Norwegian-American author and editor.
2. Gerhard Amundson (1892-1963), Norwegian-American architect.
3. Mildred Amundson (1903-1987), American educator and home economist.
4. Gunnar Amundson (1928-2005), Norwegian politician and member of the Storting.
5. Arna Wendell Amundson (1900-1987), American baseball player and coach.
The surname Amundson has also been associated with various place names in Scandinavia, particularly in Norway and Sweden. For example, there is a village called Amundson in the municipality of Halden, Norway, and an island called Amundsonøyane in the Svalbard archipelago, named after Roald Amundsen.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Amundson
Among Census respondents with the surname Amundson, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Amundson 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 Amundson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.2% · 5,825
- Two or more races3.0% · 186
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 170
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 26
- Black or African American0.4% · 22
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Amundson
Amundson 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
#5,280
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,594
+5 bearers (+0.1%)
Per 100,000 2.24
Rank movement Down 384 places
2020
#5,389
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,249
-345 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 2.09
Rank movement Down 109 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,896 | 6,589 | 2.44 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,280 | 6,594 | 2.24 | +5 bearers (+0.1%) | Down 384 places |
| 2020 | #5,389 | 6,249 | 2.09 | -345 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 109 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 Amundson 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 | #5,280 | #5,389 | -2.1% |
| Count | 6,594 | 6,249 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 2.24 | 2.09 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Amundson bearers went from 6,594 to 6,249 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 109 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,280 to #5,389.
FAQ
Amundson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Amundson?
Name Census estimates that about 7,166 living Americans carry the surname Amundson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 47,831 residents.
How common is Amundson?
Amundson ranks #5,389 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.09 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,249 people with the surname Amundson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,166), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.09 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Amundson.
Has Amundson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Amundson went from 6,594 recorded bearers to 6,249. That is a decrease of 345 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,280 to #5,389.
What does the Census say about the background of Amundson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Amundson, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Amundson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.2% (5,825 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Amundson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.2%), Two or More Races (3.0%), Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Amundson (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 Amundson mean?
Derived from the Old Norse personal name Ámundi, composed of the elements á "fierce" and mund "protection." 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 Amundson (2.09 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 are called Amundson?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Amundson on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.