2000
#17,627
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,468
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.54
Rare Last name
Arvidson
A Swedish surname meaning "son of Arvid", derived from the Old Norse name Arnviðr.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,650 Americans carry the last name Arvidson. That puts it at #18,902 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.48 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 207,730 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Arvidson 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
1.6K
1 in 207,730
Census rank
#18,902
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,439 bearers of the surname Arvidson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.48 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 18902nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Arvidson, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Arvidson
The surname Arvidson originated in Scandinavia, specifically in Sweden. It is a patronymic name, meaning it was originally formed by adding the suffix "-son" to a given name. In this case, the name derives from the Swedish masculine name Arvid.
Arvid is an ancient Germanic name that dates back to the Middle Ages. It is composed of the elements "ar" meaning "eagle" and "vid" meaning "wide" or "wood." The combination of these elements likely meant something akin to "eagle of the forest."
Arvidson first appeared in historical records in Sweden during the 16th century. One of the earliest recorded examples of the name is Nils Arvidson, a farmer who lived in the village of Skara in Västergötland County around 1550.
In the 17th century, the name Arvidson can be found in church records from various parts of Sweden, including Småland, Östergötland, and Dalarna. A notable example from this period is Olof Arvidson, a merchant and ship-owner from Gävle who was born in 1625.
As Swedish emigrants began settling in other parts of the world, particularly North America, they brought the name Arvidson with them. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in the United States is that of Johan Arvidson, who arrived in Pennsylvania from Sweden in 1647.
Another notable bearer of the name was Carl Arvidson, a Swedish-American artist and painter born in 1892 in Chicago. He is known for his landscapes and portraits depicting life in rural Sweden.
In the field of literature, one of the most famous individuals with the surname Arvidson is the Swedish novelist and playwright Artur Arvidson, who was born in 1889 and died in 1958. His works, such as "Låt männen komma" and "Livets gåta," explored themes of rural life and the human condition.
Additionally, the name Arvidson has historical connections to various place names in Sweden. For example, the village of Arvidstorp in Västergötland County likely derived its name from an individual named Arvid who settled there in the Middle Ages.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Arvidson
Among Census respondents with the surname Arvidson, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Arvidson 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 Arvidson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.8% · 1,335
- Two or more races3.1% · 45
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 31
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 16
- Black or African American0.6% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Arvidson
Arvidson 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
#18,729
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,466
-2 bearers (-0.1%)
Per 100,000 0.50
Rank movement Down 1,102 places
2020
#18,902
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,439
-27 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.48
Rank movement Down 173 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #17,627 | 1,468 | 0.54 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #18,729 | 1,466 | 0.50 | -2 bearers (-0.1%) | Down 1,102 places |
| 2020 | #18,902 | 1,439 | 0.48 | -27 bearers (-1.8%) | Down 173 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 Arvidson 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 | #18,729 | #18,902 | -0.9% |
| Count | 1,466 | 1,439 | -1.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.50 | 0.48 | -3.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Arvidson bearers went from 1,466 to 1,439 (-1.8% change). The surname moved down 173 positions in the national ranking, going from #18,729 to #18,902.
FAQ
Arvidson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Arvidson?
Name Census estimates that about 1,650 living Americans carry the surname Arvidson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 207,730 residents.
How common is Arvidson?
Arvidson ranks #18,902 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.48 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 1,439 people with the surname Arvidson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,650), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.48 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.48 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 Arvidson.
Has Arvidson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Arvidson went from 1,466 recorded bearers to 1,439. That is a decrease of 27 (-1.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #18,729 to #18,902.
What does the Census say about the background of Arvidson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Arvidson, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Arvidson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (1,335 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Arvidson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.8%), Two or More Races (3.1%), Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Arvidson (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 Arvidson mean?
A Swedish surname meaning "son of Arvid", derived from the Old Norse name Arnviðr. 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 Arvidson (0.48 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 Americans have the surname Arvidson?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.