2010
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Borgquist
A Swedish surname derived from a place name referring to a fortified residence or stronghold.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Borgquist. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Borgquist 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Borgquist in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Borgquist, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.6%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Borgquist
The surname Borgquist has its origins in Sweden, dating back to the early 16th century. It is believed to have originated from the Swedish words "borg" meaning a fortified town or castle, and "kvist" meaning a twig or branch. This suggests that the name may have referred to a person who lived near or worked in a fortified town or castle.
The earliest known record of the name Borgquist can be found in the Swedish church records from the mid-16th century, where it appears as "Borgquist" or variations such as "Borgkvist" or "Borgqvist." These variations likely emerged due to regional dialects and spelling conventions of the time.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Borgquist was Johan Borgquist, born in 1612 in Värmland, Sweden. He was a landowner and farmer, and his descendants can be traced through the parish records of the region.
In the 17th century, the name Borgquist appeared in the records of several Swedish cities, including Stockholm and Gothenburg. This suggests that the name had spread across different parts of the country by that time.
During the 18th century, a notable figure with the surname Borgquist was Carl Gustaf Borgquist, born in 1765 in Östergötland, Sweden. He was a military officer who served in the Swedish Army during the Napoleonic Wars.
Another prominent individual was Emilie Borgquist, born in 1812 in Stockholm. She was a renowned author and poet, known for her contributions to Swedish literature during the Romantic era.
In the 19th century, the surname Borgquist gained recognition through the work of Anders Borgquist, born in 1848 in Skåne, Sweden. He was a pioneering geologist and paleontologist, whose research on fossils and rock formations made significant contributions to the field.
One of the most recent notable figures with the surname Borgquist was Sven Borgquist, born in 1901 in Värmland, Sweden. He was a successful businessman and philanthropist, known for his support of educational initiatives and charitable organizations.
While the surname Borgquist has its roots in Sweden, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and immigration. However, the earliest and most significant records of the name remain rooted in the historical records of Sweden, dating back to the 16th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Borgquist
Among Census respondents with the surname Borgquist, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.6%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Borgquist 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 Borgquist surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.8% · 99
- Two or more races9.6% · 11
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Borgquist
Borgquist appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+9 bearers (+8.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 8,412 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+8.6%) | Up 8,412 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 Borgquist 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 | #154,907 | #146,495 | 5.4% |
| Count | 105 | 114 | 8.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Borgquist bearers went from 105 to 114 (+8.6% change). The surname moved up 8,412 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #146,495.
FAQ
Borgquist surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Borgquist?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Borgquist. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Borgquist?
Borgquist ranks #146,495 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 114 people with the surname Borgquist. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Borgquist.
Has Borgquist become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Borgquist went from 105 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 9 (+8.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Borgquist?
Among Census respondents with the surname Borgquist, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.6%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Borgquist in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.8% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Borgquist appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.8%), Two or More Races (9.6%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Borgquist (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 Borgquist mean?
A Swedish surname derived from a place name referring to a fortified residence or stronghold. 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 Borgquist (0.04 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 share the surname Borgquist?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.