2000
#8,844
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,407
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.26
Rare Last name
Blomquist
A Swedish habitational surname derived from the words "bloom" (flower) and "kvist" (twig), likely referring to a flowering tree.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,735 Americans carry the last name Blomquist. That puts it at #9,545 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 91,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Blomquist 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
3.7K
1 in 91,768
Census rank
#9,545
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,257 bearers of the surname Blomquist in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9545th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Blomquist, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Blomquist
The surname Blomquist is of Swedish origin, derived from the words "blom" meaning flower and "kvist" meaning twig or branch. It likely originated in the 16th or 17th century as a descriptive name for someone who lived near a flowering bush or tree.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Blomquist can be found in the Swedish parish records from the late 17th century. One notable early bearer was Johan Blomquist, born in 1673 in Värmland, Sweden. He was a farmer and landowner in the village of Blomkvist, which may have influenced the spelling of his surname.
In the 19th century, the name Blomquist started appearing in various historical records across Sweden. One prominent figure was Gustaf Blomquist, a Swedish entrepreneur born in 1810 in Malmö, who established a successful shipping company and contributed to the development of the city's harbor.
As Sweden experienced significant emigration to the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many individuals with the surname Blomquist settled in various parts of the country. One notable American bearer was Carl Blomquist, born in 1886 in Gothenburg, Sweden, who became a renowned architect known for his work on several prominent buildings in New York City.
Another notable Blomquist was Ingrid Blomquist, a Swedish writer and activist born in 1892 in Stockholm. She was a pioneering figure in the women's rights movement and published several influential works advocating for gender equality and social reforms.
In the realm of sports, Bengt Blomquist, born in 1935 in Malmö, was a successful Swedish tennis player who won multiple titles in the 1950s and 1960s, including the Swedish Open in 1957.
While the name Blomquist has its roots in Sweden, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and intermarriage. However, it remains most prevalent in Sweden and among individuals of Swedish descent.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Blomquist
Among Census respondents with the surname Blomquist, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Blomquist 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 Blomquist surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.1% · 3,001
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 113
- Two or more races2.9% · 95
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 20
- Black or African American0.5% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Blomquist
Blomquist 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
#9,444
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,445
+38 bearers (+1.1%)
Per 100,000 1.17
Rank movement Down 600 places
2020
#9,545
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,257
-188 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 1.09
Rank movement Down 101 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,844 | 3,407 | 1.26 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,444 | 3,445 | 1.17 | +38 bearers (+1.1%) | Down 600 places |
| 2020 | #9,545 | 3,257 | 1.09 | -188 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 101 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 Blomquist 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 | #9,444 | #9,545 | -1.1% |
| Count | 3,445 | 3,257 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.17 | 1.09 | -6.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Blomquist bearers went from 3,445 to 3,257 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 101 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,444 to #9,545.
FAQ
Blomquist surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Blomquist?
Name Census estimates that about 3,735 living Americans carry the surname Blomquist. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 91,768 residents.
How common is Blomquist?
Blomquist ranks #9,545 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.09 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 3,257 people with the surname Blomquist. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,735), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.09 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 Blomquist.
Has Blomquist become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Blomquist went from 3,445 recorded bearers to 3,257. That is a decrease of 188 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,444 to #9,545.
What does the Census say about the background of Blomquist?
Among Census respondents with the surname Blomquist, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (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 Blomquist in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (3,001 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Blomquist appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.1%), Hispanic (3.5%), Two or More Races (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 Blomquist (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 Blomquist mean?
A Swedish habitational surname derived from the words "bloom" (flower) and "kvist" (twig), likely referring to a flowering tree. 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 Blomquist (1.09 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 Blomquist?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.