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

Borg, 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 Borg surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Borg in America

Borg is the 6928th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Borg surname appeared 4,843 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Borg.

We can also compare 2010 data for Borg 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 Borg

The surname Borg is believed to have originated in Sweden, tracing its roots back to the medieval era. It is derived from the Old Norse word "borg," meaning a fortified dwelling or a castle. This suggests that the name may have initially been given to individuals who lived within or near such structures.

In the early days, the name was often spelled as "Borgr" or "Borger," reflecting its Norse origins. As the name spread across Scandinavia and into other parts of Europe, it underwent various spelling variations, such as "Borg," "Borgh," and "Bourgh."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Borg can be found in the Swedish census records from the 16th century. Notable individuals bearing this surname during that time include Hans Borg, a merchant from Stockholm born in 1542, and Ingrid Borg, a landowner from Gothenburg born in 1578.

During the 17th century, the name gained prominence in Sweden and Norway. In 1645, a manuscript from the Swedish National Archives mentions a soldier named Erik Borg who fought in the Thirty Years' War. Additionally, the Norwegian census records from 1665 list a farmer named Ole Borg from the village of Trondheim.

As the name spread across Europe, it became associated with various place names, such as Borgholm in Sweden and Borgund in Norway. This further reinforced the connection between the surname and fortified dwellings.

In the 18th century, several notable figures bearing the Borg surname emerged. Johan Borg (1723-1786) was a Swedish botanist and author, while his contemporary, Petter Borg (1737-1805), was a renowned architect who designed several churches in Stockholm.

Moving into the 19th century, the Borg surname gained international recognition with the birth of Victor Borg (1868-1935), a Swedish athlete who competed in the 1896 and 1900 Olympic Games. Another prominent figure was Isak Borg (1886-1961), a Swedish writer and playwright whose works explored themes of identity and existentialism.

As the name continued to spread globally, it also gave rise to various compound surnames, such as Borgström and Borgman, reflecting the diverse cultures and languages it encountered.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Borg

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

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

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

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