2000
#150,436
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Chriestenson
An English surname derived from a personal name combined with the patronymic suffix "-son".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Chriestenson. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Chriestenson 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Chriestenson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Chriestenson, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Chriestenson
The surname Chriestenson has its origins in Scandinavia, likely tracing back to medieval times around the 13th or 14th centuries. It is believed to be derived from the Old Norse name "Christer" combined with the patronymic suffix "-son," indicating "son of Christer." The name Christer itself is a variant of the name Christian, which was a popular name among Scandinavian populations influenced by Christianity.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Chriestenson can be found in the Danish Census Records of 1645, where a man named Christen Chriestenson was listed as a resident of Copenhagen. This suggests that the name was already well-established in Denmark by the mid-17th century.
In Sweden, the Chriestenson family can be traced back to the late 16th century, with a man named Nils Chriestenson mentioned in the parish records of Värmland County in 1587. This early occurrence of the name indicates that it was present in various parts of Scandinavia during the Renaissance period.
A notable figure with the surname Chriestenson was Anders Chriestenson, a Swedish merchant and ship owner who lived from 1688 to 1756. He played a significant role in the development of the Swedish East India Company and was known for his successful trading ventures in the Baltic region.
Another prominent individual with this surname was Christina Chriestenson, a Norwegian painter who lived from 1839 to 1905. She was a pioneer in the field of art education and is celebrated for her contributions to the Norwegian art scene in the 19th century.
In the United States, the Chriestenson name can be traced back to the late 19th century, when many Scandinavian immigrants arrived in search of new opportunities. One of the earliest recorded instances was Olaf Chriestenson, a Norwegian immigrant who settled in Minnesota in 1872.
Interestingly, the name Chriestenson also appeared in some historical records with slight variations in spelling, such as Christenson or Christianson, reflecting the influence of regional dialects and scribal variations.
While not as widespread as some other Scandinavian surnames, the Chriestenson name has a rich history that reflects the cultural and linguistic heritage of the Nordic regions. It serves as a reminder of the diverse origins and stories that have shaped the tapestry of human societies over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chriestenson
Among Census respondents with the surname Chriestenson, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Chriestenson 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 Chriestenson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.1% · 114
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chriestenson
Chriestenson 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
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
+3 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 6,798 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+12 bearers (+11.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 11,477 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #150,436 | 100 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | +3 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 6,798 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | +12 bearers (+11.7%) | Up 11,477 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 Chriestenson 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 | #157,234 | #145,757 | 7.3% |
| Count | 103 | 115 | 11.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 28.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chriestenson bearers went from 103 to 115 (+11.7% change). The surname moved up 11,477 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #145,757.
FAQ
Chriestenson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chriestenson?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Chriestenson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Chriestenson?
Chriestenson ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Chriestenson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Chriestenson.
Has Chriestenson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chriestenson went from 103 recorded bearers to 115. That is an increase of 12 (+11.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Chriestenson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chriestenson, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Chriestenson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.1% (114 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chriestenson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.1%), Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Chriestenson (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 Chriestenson mean?
An English surname derived from a personal name combined with the patronymic suffix "-son". 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 Chriestenson (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 common is the surname Chriestenson?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Chriestenson? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.