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

Bengtson, 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 Bengtson surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bengtson in America

Bengtson is the 10284th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bengtson surname appeared 3,135 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Bengtson.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bengtson 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 Bengtson

The surname Bengtson is of Swedish origin, derived from the personal name Bengt, which is a contracted form of the Old Norse name Bengtr. This name is believed to have originated in the 9th or 10th century.

The earliest recorded use of the surname Bengtson can be traced back to the 16th century in Sweden. It was initially used as a patronymic name, meaning "son of Bengt." The suffix "-son" was commonly added to a father's given name to create a surname for his children.

Bengtson is particularly common in the southern regions of Sweden, such as Skåne and Blekinge. The name is also found in other Scandinavian countries like Denmark and Norway, likely due to migration and cultural connections.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bengtson is in the Swedish church records from the late 16th century. These records document births, marriages, and deaths within local parishes and provide valuable insights into the historical usage of surnames.

Historically, the surname Bengtson has been associated with various notable individuals. One such figure is Bengt Danielsson (1693-1768), a Swedish merchant and shipowner who played a significant role in the early development of Sweden's trade and maritime industry.

Another prominent Bengtson was Johan Bengtsson (1790-1878), a Swedish theologian and professor of theology at Lund University. He made significant contributions to the field of biblical exegesis and authored several influential works on theology.

In the 20th century, Gunnar Bengtsson (1919-2008) was a Swedish author and playwright renowned for his works exploring existential themes and the human condition. His play "Aniara" (1956) is considered a seminal work in Swedish literature.

The surname Bengtson has also been associated with notable figures in other fields, such as Gustaf Bengtsson (1886-1965), a Swedish architect known for his contributions to the National Romantic architectural style in Sweden.

Additionally, the name Bengtson has been found in various historical records and documents, including land records, tax rolls, and census data from different periods in Swedish history, further attesting to its longstanding presence in the region.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bengtson

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

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

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

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