2000
#7,860
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,903
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.45
Rare Last name
Bergquist
A Swedish topographic surname referring to someone who lived by a mountain twig or small mountain branch.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,316 Americans carry the last name Bergquist. That puts it at #8,427 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.26 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 79,415 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bergquist 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
4.3K
1 in 79,415
Census rank
#8,427
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,764 bearers of the surname Bergquist in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.26 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8427th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bergquist, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bergquist
Among Census respondents with the surname Bergquist, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Bergquist 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 Bergquist surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3% · 3,475
- Two or more races3.2% · 121
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 110
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 42
- Black or African American0.3% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bergquist
Bergquist 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
#8,443
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,912
+9 bearers (+0.2%)
Per 100,000 1.33
Rank movement Down 583 places
2020
#8,427
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,764
-148 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 1.26
Rank movement Up 16 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,860 | 3,903 | 1.45 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,443 | 3,912 | 1.33 | +9 bearers (+0.2%) | Down 583 places |
| 2020 | #8,427 | 3,764 | 1.26 | -148 bearers (-3.8%) | Up 16 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 Bergquist 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 | #8,443 | #8,427 | 0.2% |
| Count | 3,912 | 3,764 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.33 | 1.26 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bergquist bearers went from 3,912 to 3,764 (-3.8% change). The surname moved up 16 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,443 to #8,427.
FAQ
Bergquist surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bergquist?
Name Census estimates that about 4,316 living Americans carry the surname Bergquist. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 79,415 residents.
How common is Bergquist?
Bergquist ranks #8,427 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.26 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 3,764 people with the surname Bergquist. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,316), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.26 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.26 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 Bergquist.
Has Bergquist become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bergquist went from 3,912 recorded bearers to 3,764. That is a decrease of 148 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,443 to #8,427.
What does the Census say about the background of Bergquist?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bergquist, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Bergquist in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (3,475 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bergquist appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.3%), Two or More Races (3.2%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Bergquist (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 Bergquist mean?
A Swedish topographic surname referring to someone who lived by a mountain twig or small mountain branch. 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 Bergquist (1.26 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 have the surname Bergquist?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.