2000
#116,123
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 139
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Brunstad
A locational surname derived from a farm or place in Norway.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 114 Americans carry the last name Brunstad. That puts it at #156,005 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,006,617 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brunstad 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
114
1 in 3,006,617
Census rank
#156,005
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
99
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 99 bearers of the surname Brunstad in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156005th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brunstad, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brunstad
The surname Brunstad is of Norwegian origin, derived from the Old Norse words "brunnr" meaning "spring" or "well" and "stadr" meaning "place" or "location." It is believed to have originated in the 13th or 14th century as a toponymic surname, referring to a place near a well or spring.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Brunstad dates back to 1379 in the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, a collection of Norwegian medieval documents. In this record, a person named Sigurd Brunstad is mentioned as a witness to a land transaction.
Throughout history, the name has appeared in various forms, including Brunnstad, Brynstad, and Brunstadius. These variations reflect regional dialects and spelling preferences during different time periods.
One notable bearer of the Brunstad name was Gunder Brunstad (1696-1771), a Norwegian farmer and landowner from Telemark, Norway. He is known for his involvement in a legal dispute over land rights, which set an important precedent in Norwegian property law.
Another individual of note was Erik Brunstad (1856-1933), a Norwegian educator and politician. He served as a member of the Storting, the Norwegian parliament, and played a significant role in the development of the Norwegian education system.
In the literary realm, Tor Brunstad (1924-2016) was a respected Norwegian author and playwright. His works often explored themes of rural life and the struggles of the working class in Norway.
The name Brunstad has also been associated with place names in Norway. For example, Brunstad is a village in the municipality of Lillesand, located in the county of Agder. This village likely derived its name from the same etymological roots as the surname.
While the Brunstad surname is not among the most common in Norway, it has a rich history and has contributed to various aspects of Norwegian society, from agriculture and politics to education and literature.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brunstad
Among Census respondents with the surname Brunstad, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Brunstad 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 Brunstad surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.0% · 98
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brunstad
Brunstad 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
#132,206
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
-11 bearers (-7.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,083 places
2020
#156,005
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 99
-29 bearers (-22.7%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 23,799 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #116,123 | 139 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #132,206 | 128 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-7.9%) | Down 16,083 places |
| 2020 | #156,005 | 99 | 0.03 | -29 bearers (-22.7%) | Down 23,799 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 Brunstad 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 | #132,206 | #156,005 | -18.0% |
| Count | 128 | 99 | -22.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -17.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brunstad bearers went from 128 to 99 (-22.7% change). The surname moved down 23,799 positions in the national ranking, going from #132,206 to #156,005.
FAQ
Brunstad surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brunstad?
Name Census estimates that about 114 living Americans carry the surname Brunstad. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,006,617 residents.
How common is Brunstad?
Brunstad ranks #156,005 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 99 people with the surname Brunstad. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (114), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Brunstad.
Has Brunstad become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brunstad went from 128 recorded bearers to 99. That is a decrease of 29 (-22.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #132,206 to #156,005.
What does the Census say about the background of Brunstad?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brunstad, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Brunstad in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.0% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brunstad appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.0%), Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Brunstad (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 Brunstad mean?
A locational surname derived from a farm or place in Norway. 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 Brunstad (0.03 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 Brunstad?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Brunstad on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.