2000
#13,169
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,128
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.79
Rare Last name
Ecklund
A Swedish toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "oak grove."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,305 Americans carry the last name Ecklund. That puts it at #14,322 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 148,700 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ecklund 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
2.3K
1 in 148,700
Census rank
#14,322
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,010 bearers of the surname Ecklund in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14322nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ecklund, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ecklund
The surname Ecklund is of Scandinavian origin, specifically from Sweden. It is believed to have originated in the late medieval period, around the 14th or 15th century. The name is derived from the Old Norse words "ek" meaning oak and "lund" meaning grove or small wood, suggesting that the original bearers of this name may have lived near or worked in an oak grove.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Ecklund name can be found in the Swedish church records from the 16th century. For example, a man named Peder Ecklund was documented in the parish records of Skara, Sweden, in 1548. The name was also sometimes spelled as Eklund or Ecklundh in these early records.
In the 17th century, the Ecklund name appears in various Swedish census records and tax rolls. Notably, a man named Johan Ecklund was listed as a landowner in the village of Torsåker, Gävleborg County, in 1642. This suggests that some Ecklund families may have held land and property during this time.
Moving into the 18th century, the Ecklund name can be found in various Swedish military records. One example is Carl Gustav Ecklund, who served as a lieutenant in the Swedish Army during the Great Northern War (1700-1721). He was born in 1685 and died in 1746.
In the 19th century, the Ecklund name became more widespread across Sweden and began to appear in other parts of Scandinavia as well. One notable individual from this period was the Swedish poet and writer Carl Gustaf Ecklund (1802-1877), who was known for his romantic and patriotic poems.
Another significant figure was the Swedish explorer and geographer Gustaf Ecklund (1853-1922), who led several expeditions to the Arctic regions and made important contributions to the mapping and study of these areas.
In the 20th century, the Ecklund name continued to be found in Sweden and other Scandinavian countries. One example is the Swedish author and journalist Sven Ecklund (1909-1997), who was known for his novels and works on social issues.
Overall, the surname Ecklund has a rich history dating back to the medieval period in Sweden, where it originated as a locational name referring to an oak grove. Over the centuries, it has been associated with various notable individuals in fields such as literature, exploration, and the military.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ecklund
Among Census respondents with the surname Ecklund, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Ecklund 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 Ecklund surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 1,825
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 84
- Two or more races2.6% · 53
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.6% · 33
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 9
- Black or African American0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ecklund
Ecklund 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
#14,338
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,087
-41 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Down 1,169 places
2020
#14,322
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,010
-77 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Up 16 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,169 | 2,128 | 0.79 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,338 | 2,087 | 0.71 | -41 bearers (-1.9%) | Down 1,169 places |
| 2020 | #14,322 | 2,010 | 0.67 | -77 bearers (-3.7%) | Up 16 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 Ecklund 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 | #14,338 | #14,322 | 0.1% |
| Count | 2,087 | 2,010 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.71 | 0.67 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ecklund bearers went from 2,087 to 2,010 (-3.7% change). The surname moved up 16 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,338 to #14,322.
FAQ
Ecklund surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ecklund?
Name Census estimates that about 2,305 living Americans carry the surname Ecklund. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 148,700 residents.
How common is Ecklund?
Ecklund ranks #14,322 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.67 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 2,010 people with the surname Ecklund. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,305), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.67 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 Ecklund.
Has Ecklund become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ecklund went from 2,087 recorded bearers to 2,010. That is a decrease of 77 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,338 to #14,322.
What does the Census say about the background of Ecklund?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ecklund, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Ecklund in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (1,825 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ecklund appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Hispanic (4.2%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Ecklund (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 Ecklund mean?
A Swedish toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "oak grove." 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 Ecklund (0.67 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 share the surname Ecklund?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.