2000
#12,241
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,333
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.86
Rare Last name
Backstrom
A Swedish toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "ridge village" or "village on a ridge."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,264 Americans carry the last name Backstrom. That puts it at #14,522 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 151,393 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Backstrom 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
2.3K
1 in 151,393
Census rank
#14,522
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,974 bearers of the surname Backstrom in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14522nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Backstrom, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.7%. The next largest groups are Black (9.8%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Backstrom
The surname Backstrom is of Swedish origin, derived from the elements 'bak' meaning 'back' and 'strom' meaning 'stream' or 'current'. It likely originated as a topographic name, referring to someone who lived near a stream that flowed in a backward direction or formed a bend.
The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the late 16th century in Sweden. In 1594, a man named Nils Backstrom was documented in the parish records of Norra Sandsjö, Småland. Another early bearer was Johan Backstrom, born in 1612 in Östergötland.
In the 17th century, the Backstrom name appeared in various Swedish church records and tax rolls. For instance, a man named Olof Backstrom was recorded in the Västra Husby parish in Östergötland in 1645.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname was Carl Backstrom, a Swedish military officer born in 1695 in Kalmar. He served in the Kalmar Regiment and participated in the Great Northern War against Russia.
Another prominent bearer was Johan Backstrom, a Swedish botanist and explorer born in 1744 in Västergötland. He took part in several expeditions to the Arctic regions and made significant contributions to the study of Arctic flora.
In the 19th century, Nils Backstrom, born in 1813 in Småland, was a renowned Swedish architect responsible for designing several buildings in Stockholm, including the Stockholm City Theatre.
The name Backstrom has also been found in Norway, likely due to migration from Sweden. One example is Anders Backstrom, a Norwegian politician and farmer born in 1823 in Nordland. He served as a member of the Norwegian Parliament in the late 19th century.
While the surname has maintained its original spelling in Sweden and Norway, some variations such as Backström and Bäckström have also emerged over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Backstrom
Among Census respondents with the surname Backstrom, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.7%. The next largest groups are Black (9.8%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Backstrom 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 Backstrom surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.7% · 1,653
- Black or African American9.8% · 194
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 59
- Two or more races2.8% · 56
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Backstrom
Backstrom 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
#12,683
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,435
+102 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Down 442 places
2020
#14,522
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,974
-461 bearers (-18.9%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Down 1,839 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,241 | 2,333 | 0.86 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,683 | 2,435 | 0.83 | +102 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 442 places |
| 2020 | #14,522 | 1,974 | 0.66 | -461 bearers (-18.9%) | Down 1,839 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 Backstrom 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 | #12,683 | #14,522 | -14.5% |
| Count | 2,435 | 1,974 | -18.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.83 | 0.66 | -20.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Backstrom bearers went from 2,435 to 1,974 (-18.9% change). The surname moved down 1,839 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,683 to #14,522.
FAQ
Backstrom surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Backstrom?
Name Census estimates that about 2,264 living Americans carry the surname Backstrom. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 151,393 residents.
How common is Backstrom?
Backstrom ranks #14,522 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.66 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,974 people with the surname Backstrom. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,264), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.66 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.66 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Backstrom.
Has Backstrom become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Backstrom went from 2,435 recorded bearers to 1,974. That is a decrease of 461 (-18.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,683 to #14,522.
What does the Census say about the background of Backstrom?
Among Census respondents with the surname Backstrom, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.7%. The next largest groups are Black (9.8%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Backstrom in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.7% (1,653 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Backstrom appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.7%), Black (9.8%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Backstrom (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 Backstrom mean?
A Swedish toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "ridge village" or "village on a ridge." 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 Backstrom (0.66 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 Backstrom?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.