2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Carleson
An English surname likely derived from Scandinavian origin meaning "Son of Carl".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Carleson. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Carleson 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Carleson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Carleson, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Carleson
The surname Carleson has its origins in Scandinavia, specifically in Sweden and Norway. It is derived from the Old Norse name "Karlson," which means "son of Karl." The name Karl itself comes from the Germanic word "karl," meaning "man" or "freeman."
The earliest known records of the name Carleson date back to the 13th century in Sweden. It was initially spelled as "Karlsson" and was commonly used as a patronymic name, indicating the son of a person named Karl. Over time, the spelling evolved to include variations such as Carlson, Carlsson, and Carleson.
In Sweden, the name Carleson has a long and distinguished history. One notable figure was Niklas Carleson, a Swedish mathematician born in 1934. He made significant contributions to the field of harmonic analysis and was awarded the prestigious Wolf Prize in Mathematics in 1992.
Another prominent individual with the surname Carleson was John Carleson, a Swedish-American businessman and philanthropist (1875-1968). He founded the Carleson Clinic, a renowned medical facility in Stockholm, and was actively involved in various charitable organizations.
The name Carleson also appears in Norwegian records, where it was often spelled as "Karlsen." One example is Hans Carlsen (1765-1845), a Norwegian naval officer and explorer who participated in several expeditions to the Arctic regions.
In the United States, the surname Carleson can be traced back to Swedish and Norwegian immigrants who arrived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. One notable American with this surname was Chester Carleson (1911-1988), a former mayor of Anchorage, Alaska, who served from 1964 to 1967.
While the name Carleson has its roots in Scandinavia, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including Canada, Australia, and various European countries. Regardless of its geographic location, the surname Carleson continues to carry a strong connection to its Nordic heritage and the meaning of "son of Karl."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Carleson
Among Census respondents with the surname Carleson, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Carleson 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 Carleson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 99
- Two or more races6.5% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Carleson
Carleson 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
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-2 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,416 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-4 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,682 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.8%) | Down 11,416 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 3,682 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 Carleson 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 | #147,253 | #150,935 | -2.5% |
| Count | 112 | 108 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Carleson bearers went from 112 to 108 (-3.6% change). The surname moved down 3,682 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #150,935.
FAQ
Carleson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Carleson?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Carleson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Carleson?
Carleson ranks #150,935 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 108 people with the surname Carleson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), 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 Carleson.
Has Carleson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Carleson went from 112 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #147,253 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Carleson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Carleson, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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 Carleson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Carleson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Two or More Races (6.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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 Carleson (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 Carleson mean?
An English surname likely derived from Scandinavian origin meaning "Son of Carl". 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 Carleson (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 have the last name Carleson?
Find out how many people have the last name Carleson on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.