2000
#10,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,678
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.99
Rare Last name
Dahlstrom
A Swedish habitational surname referring to someone living near a small valley with a grove of dale trees.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,979 Americans carry the last name Dahlstrom. That puts it at #11,577 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.87 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 115,057 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dahlstrom 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
3.0K
1 in 115,057
Census rank
#11,577
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,598 bearers of the surname Dahlstrom in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.87 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11577th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dahlstrom, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dahlstrom
The surname Dahlstrom is of Swedish origin, originating in the 17th century. It is a toponymic name derived from the Swedish words "dahl" meaning valley and "ström" meaning stream, referring to someone who lived near a valley with a stream.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Dahlstrom can be found in the parish records of Värmland County, Sweden, in the late 1600s. It is believed that the name first emerged in this region before spreading to other parts of the country.
In the 18th century, the name Dahlstrom was also found in various Swedish military records, indicating that individuals bearing this surname served in the armed forces during this time period.
One notable person with the surname Dahlstrom was Johan Dahlstrom (1766-1841), a Swedish botanist and explorer who conducted extensive research on the flora of Scandinavia and made significant contributions to the field of plant taxonomy.
Another prominent figure was Carl Dahlstrom (1828-1903), a Swedish-American businessman and entrepreneur who founded the Dahlstrom Metallic Door Company in Jamestown, New York, which became a leading manufacturer of metal doors and frames.
In the 19th century, the Dahlstrom surname began to appear in emigration records as Swedish families bearing this name started to migrate to other parts of the world, particularly to the United States and Canada.
One early example of the Dahlstrom name in America is Nils Dahlstrom (1832-1910), a Swedish immigrant who settled in Minnesota and became a prominent farmer and community leader in the area.
Another noteworthy individual was Anna Dahlstrom (1855-1925), a Swedish-American educator and social reformer who advocated for women's rights and was active in the temperance movement in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
In more recent times, the surname Dahlstrom has also been associated with individuals in various fields, such as the American philosopher Edmund Dahlstrom (1933-2022), known for his work on phenomenology and the philosophy of mind.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dahlstrom
Among Census respondents with the surname Dahlstrom, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Dahlstrom 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 Dahlstrom surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3% · 2,397
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 85
- Two or more races3.0% · 78
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 26
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 9
- Black or African American0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dahlstrom
Dahlstrom 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
#11,605
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,705
+27 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.92
Rank movement Down 698 places
2020
#11,577
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,598
-107 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.87
Rank movement Up 28 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,907 | 2,678 | 0.99 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,605 | 2,705 | 0.92 | +27 bearers (+1.0%) | Down 698 places |
| 2020 | #11,577 | 2,598 | 0.87 | -107 bearers (-4.0%) | Up 28 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 Dahlstrom 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 | #11,605 | #11,577 | 0.2% |
| Count | 2,705 | 2,598 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.92 | 0.87 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dahlstrom bearers went from 2,705 to 2,598 (-4.0% change). The surname moved up 28 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,605 to #11,577.
FAQ
Dahlstrom surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dahlstrom?
Name Census estimates that about 2,979 living Americans carry the surname Dahlstrom. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 115,057 residents.
How common is Dahlstrom?
Dahlstrom ranks #11,577 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.87 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 2,598 people with the surname Dahlstrom. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,979), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.87 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.87 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 Dahlstrom.
Has Dahlstrom become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dahlstrom went from 2,705 recorded bearers to 2,598. That is a decrease of 107 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,605 to #11,577.
What does the Census say about the background of Dahlstrom?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dahlstrom, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Dahlstrom in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (2,397 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dahlstrom appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.3%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Dahlstrom (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 Dahlstrom mean?
A Swedish habitational surname referring to someone living near a small valley with a grove of dale trees. 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 Dahlstrom (0.87 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 Dahlstrom?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.