2000
#13,530
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,060
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.76
Rare Last name
Bostrom
A Swedish habitational surname derived from place names meaning "bridge stream" or "brook stream."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,220 Americans carry the last name Bostrom. That puts it at #14,724 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 154,394 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bostrom 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
2.2K
1 in 154,394
Census rank
#14,724
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,936 bearers of the surname Bostrom in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14724th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bostrom, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bostrom
The surname Bostrom is of Swedish origin, derived from the Swedish place name Boström, meaning "dwelling by a stream." It emerged in the 16th century, initially concentrated in the central regions of Sweden, particularly in the provinces of Uppland, Västmanland, and Närke.
Bostrom is a topographic surname, reflecting the geographical location where the earliest bearers of the name lived. It is believed to have originated as a descriptive name, identifying those who resided near a stream or brook. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in parish records and census rolls from the mid-16th century onwards.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Johan Bostrom, born in Västmanland in 1587. He was a farmer and landowner, whose descendants continued to use the surname in the region for generations. Another notable early figure was Karin Bostrom, born in 1612 in Uppland, who was recorded as a midwife in the parish records of the time.
In the 18th century, the name gained prominence with the birth of Anders Bostrom (1734-1804), a renowned Swedish botanist and naturalist. He made significant contributions to the study of plant life in Sweden and published several influential works on the subject.
During the 19th century, the Bostrom surname spread beyond Sweden's borders as people emigrated to other parts of the world. One notable individual was Carl Bostrom (1852-1928), a Swedish-American architect who designed numerous buildings in Chicago and other cities in the United States.
Another prominent figure was Knut Bostrom (1887-1975), a Swedish politician and diplomat who served as the Prime Minister of Sweden from 1925 to 1926. He played a crucial role in shaping Sweden's foreign policy during the interwar period.
In the 20th century, the name gained further recognition with individuals like Dan Bostrom (1942-2006), an American author and journalist who wrote extensively on environmental and sustainable living topics.
While the surname Bostrom originated in Sweden, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through migration and settlement patterns. However, its roots can be traced back to the topographic naming traditions of central Sweden, reflecting the dwellings of its earliest bearers near streams and brooks.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bostrom
Among Census respondents with the surname Bostrom, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Bostrom 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 Bostrom surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.0% · 1,762
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 70
- Two or more races3.2% · 62
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 19
- Black or African American0.7% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bostrom
Bostrom 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
#14,113
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,129
+69 bearers (+3.3%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Down 583 places
2020
#14,724
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,936
-193 bearers (-9.1%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Down 611 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,530 | 2,060 | 0.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,113 | 2,129 | 0.72 | +69 bearers (+3.3%) | Down 583 places |
| 2020 | #14,724 | 1,936 | 0.65 | -193 bearers (-9.1%) | Down 611 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 Bostrom 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 | #14,113 | #14,724 | -4.3% |
| Count | 2,129 | 1,936 | -9.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.72 | 0.65 | -10.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bostrom bearers went from 2,129 to 1,936 (-9.1% change). The surname moved down 611 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,113 to #14,724.
FAQ
Bostrom surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bostrom?
Name Census estimates that about 2,220 living Americans carry the surname Bostrom. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 154,394 residents.
How common is Bostrom?
Bostrom ranks #14,724 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.65 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 1,936 people with the surname Bostrom. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,220), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.65 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 Bostrom.
Has Bostrom become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bostrom went from 2,129 recorded bearers to 1,936. That is a decrease of 193 (-9.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,113 to #14,724.
What does the Census say about the background of Bostrom?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bostrom, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (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 Bostrom in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (1,762 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bostrom appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.0%), Hispanic (3.6%), Two or More Races (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 Bostrom (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 Bostrom mean?
A Swedish habitational surname derived from place names meaning "bridge stream" or "brook stream." 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 Bostrom (0.65 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 Bostrom?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.