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

Bergquist, 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 Bergquist surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bergquist in America

Bergquist is the 8443rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bergquist surname appeared 3,912 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 Bergquist.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bergquist 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 Bergquist

The surname Bergquist has its origins in Sweden, dating back to the medieval period. It is a topographic name, derived from the Old Swedish words 'berg' meaning mountain or hill, and 'kvist' meaning branch or twig. Together, the name likely referred to a person who lived near a mountainous or hilly area with a distinctive branch or twig-like feature.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Swedish census records of the 16th century, where it appears as 'Berghquist'. This spelling variation highlights the potential influence of local dialects and pronunciations on the surname's evolution over time.

In the 17th century, a notable figure bearing the name Bergquist was Johan Bergquist, a Swedish scholar and theologian born in 1637. He served as a professor at Uppsala University and made significant contributions to the field of theology during his lifetime.

Moving into the 18th century, the name Bergquist appears in various Swedish parish records, often associated with rural areas and farming communities. This further reinforces the surname's topographic origins and its connection to the natural landscape.

In the 19th century, Carl Bergquist, born in 1818, gained recognition as a Swedish industrialist and entrepreneur. He founded a successful textile manufacturing company that played a significant role in the country's industrial development during that period.

Another prominent individual with the surname Bergquist was Olof Bergquist, a Swedish botanist born in 1869. He made notable contributions to the study of plant taxonomy and authored several influential works on the flora of Sweden and other Nordic regions.

As the surname spread beyond Sweden, it found its way into other parts of Europe and eventually to North America through immigration. One notable example is Oscar Bergquist, born in 1890 in Sweden, who later emigrated to the United States and became a respected architect, contributing to the design of several notable buildings in the early 20th century.

Throughout its history, the surname Bergquist has maintained a strong connection to its Swedish roots and topographic origins, reflecting the diverse landscapes and natural features that have shaped the regions where it originated and flourished.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bergquist

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

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

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

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