2000
#27,744
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 816
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.30
Very Rare Last name
Boberg
A Swedish topographic name indicating someone living near a small hill or mountain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 928 Americans carry the last name Boberg. That puts it at #30,813 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 369,347 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Boberg 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
928
1 in 369,347
Census rank
#30,813
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
809
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 809 bearers of the surname Boberg in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 30813th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Boberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Boberg
The surname Boberg originated in Sweden during the late medieval period. It is derived from the Old Swedish word "bo," meaning a farm or homestead, and "berg," meaning a hill or mountain. This suggests that the name likely referred to someone who lived on a farm or settlement located on or near a hill or mountainous area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Boberg can be found in the Swedish Census Book of 1540, where a man named Olof Boberg was listed as residing in the village of Mora, in the province of Dalarna. This region is known for its picturesque landscapes and mountainous terrain, lending credence to the etymological roots of the name.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Boberg name appears in various historical records and documents across Sweden. Notable individuals from this time include Johan Boberg (1624-1688), a renowned theologian and professor at Uppsala University, and Anna Boberg (1650-1715), a respected scholar and translator of religious texts.
In the 18th century, the Boberg family gained prominence with the birth of Erik Boberg (1723-1790), a celebrated poet and playwright. His works, such as the play "Den Svenske Friheten" (The Swedish Freedom), were widely acclaimed and helped establish the Boberg name in the literary circles of the time.
As the Boberg family spread across Sweden, the name also took on various spelling variations, including Bobergh, Bobergk, and Boberger. These variations were likely influenced by regional dialects and scribal practices of the time.
Another notable figure in the history of the Boberg name is Carl Boberg (1859-1940), a Swedish missionary and poet best known for writing the beloved hymn "O Store Gud" (O Great God), which later inspired the popular English hymn "How Great Thou Art."
In the 20th century, the Boberg name continued to be associated with accomplished individuals, such as Folke Boberg (1901-1978), a renowned Swedish architect and urban planner, and Karin Boberg (1932-2014), a celebrated author and children's book writer.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Boberg
Among Census respondents with the surname Boberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Boberg 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 Boberg surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.8% · 743
- Two or more races3.3% · 27
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 26
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 8
- Black or African American0.6% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Boberg
Boberg 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
#29,198
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 811
-5 bearers (-0.6%)
Per 100,000 0.27
Rank movement Down 1,454 places
2020
#30,813
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 809
-2 bearers (-0.2%)
Per 100,000 0.27
Rank movement Down 1,615 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #27,744 | 816 | 0.30 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #29,198 | 811 | 0.27 | -5 bearers (-0.6%) | Down 1,454 places |
| 2020 | #30,813 | 809 | 0.27 | -2 bearers (-0.2%) | Down 1,615 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 Boberg 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 | #29,198 | #30,813 | -5.5% |
| Count | 811 | 809 | -0.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.27 | 0.27 | 0.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Boberg bearers went from 811 to 809 (-0.2% change). The surname moved down 1,615 positions in the national ranking, going from #29,198 to #30,813.
FAQ
Boberg surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Boberg?
Name Census estimates that about 928 living Americans carry the surname Boberg. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 369,347 residents.
How common is Boberg?
Boberg ranks #30,813 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.27 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 809 people with the surname Boberg. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (928), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.27 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Boberg.
Has Boberg become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Boberg went from 811 recorded bearers to 809. That is a decrease of 2 (-0.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #29,198 to #30,813.
What does the Census say about the background of Boberg?
Among Census respondents with the surname Boberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Boberg in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (743 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Boberg appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.8%), Two or More Races (3.3%), Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Boberg (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 Boberg mean?
A Swedish topographic name indicating someone living near a small hill or mountain. 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 Boberg (0.27 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 common is the surname Boberg?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Boberg? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.