2000
#6,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,234
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.94
Rare Last name
Berglund
A Swedish habitational surname derived from words meaning "mountain" and "grove," likely referring to someone living near such a place.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,474 Americans carry the last name Berglund. That puts it at #6,796 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 62,615 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Berglund 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
5.5K
1 in 62,615
Census rank
#6,796
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,774 bearers of the surname Berglund in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6796th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Berglund, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Berglund
The surname Berglund originates from Sweden and can be traced back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Swedish words "berg" meaning mountain and "lund" meaning grove or small wood. The name suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname likely lived near a mountain or hill covered with a small forest or wooded area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Berglund surname appears in the Swedish church records from the parish of Svenljunga in Västergötland County, dating back to the late 1500s. The name is spelled slightly differently as "Berghlund" in these early records.
In the 17th century, there are records of a Berglund family residing in the village of Nyköping in Södermanland County. A man named Hans Berglund, born in 1625, is mentioned as a landowner and farmer in this area.
The Berglund surname can also be found in the Swedish Census Rolls from the early 1800s, which document several families with this name living in various parts of the country, including the regions of Dalarna, Värmland, and Västmanland.
One notable individual with the Berglund surname was Jonas Berglund, a Swedish artist and painter who lived from 1780 to 1853. He is known for his landscape paintings and portraits, many of which are housed in museums and galleries across Sweden.
Another historically significant person with this surname was Carl Berglund, a Swedish politician and member of the Riksdag (the Swedish parliament) who was born in 1856 and died in 1932. He played a prominent role in the early 20th century Swedish labor movement and advocated for workers' rights.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many Swedes with the Berglund surname immigrated to the United States, particularly to the Midwestern states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Illinois, where they settled and established new communities.
One of the earliest Berglund immigrants to the United States was Nils Berglund, who arrived in 1868 and settled in Goodhue County, Minnesota. He worked as a farmer and is recorded as having several children who carried on the Berglund name in America.
Another notable individual with the Berglund surname was Gunnar Berglund, a Swedish-American athlete and track and field coach who lived from 1920 to 2003. He competed in the 1948 and 1952 Summer Olympics and later became a successful coach at various universities in the United States.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Berglund
Among Census respondents with the surname Berglund, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Berglund 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 Berglund surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 4,415
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 134
- Two or more races2.7% · 127
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 49
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 35
- Black or African American0.3% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Berglund
Berglund 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
#6,546
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,173
-61 bearers (-1.2%)
Per 100,000 1.75
Rank movement Down 502 places
2020
#6,796
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,774
-399 bearers (-7.7%)
Per 100,000 1.60
Rank movement Down 250 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,044 | 5,234 | 1.94 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,546 | 5,173 | 1.75 | -61 bearers (-1.2%) | Down 502 places |
| 2020 | #6,796 | 4,774 | 1.60 | -399 bearers (-7.7%) | Down 250 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 Berglund 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 | #6,546 | #6,796 | -3.8% |
| Count | 5,173 | 4,774 | -7.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.75 | 1.60 | -8.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Berglund bearers went from 5,173 to 4,774 (-7.7% change). The surname moved down 250 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,546 to #6,796.
FAQ
Berglund surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Berglund?
Name Census estimates that about 5,474 living Americans carry the surname Berglund. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 62,615 residents.
How common is Berglund?
Berglund ranks #6,796 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.60 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 4,774 people with the surname Berglund. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,474), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.60 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 Berglund.
Has Berglund become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Berglund went from 5,173 recorded bearers to 4,774. That is a decrease of 399 (-7.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,546 to #6,796.
What does the Census say about the background of Berglund?
Among Census respondents with the surname Berglund, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (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 Berglund in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (4,415 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Berglund appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.5%), Hispanic (2.8%), Two or More Races (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 Berglund (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 Berglund mean?
A Swedish habitational surname derived from words meaning "mountain" and "grove," likely referring to someone living near such a place. 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 Berglund (1.60 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 Berglund?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Berglund on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.