2000
#16,427
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,613
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.60
Rare Last name
Edlund
A Swedish-derived surname originally referring to someone from the valley of the river Eda.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,929 Americans carry the last name Edlund. That puts it at #16,566 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.56 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 177,685 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Edlund 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
1.9K
1 in 177,685
Census rank
#16,566
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,682 bearers of the surname Edlund in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.56 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 16566th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Edlund, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Edlund
The surname Edlund is of Swedish origin, with its roots dating back to the 17th century. It is believed to have originated from the Swedish word "edla," which means "noble" or "honorable." The suffix "-und" was commonly added to names during that period, suggesting that the name Edlund may have been bestowed upon individuals of noble birth or high social standing.
The earliest known record of the Edlund name can be traced back to the parish records of Smaland, a province in southern Sweden, where it was documented in the late 1600s. Some of the earliest recorded bearers of the name include Johan Edlund, born in 1678, and Anna Edlund, born in 1692.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the Edlund name began to spread beyond the borders of Sweden, as many individuals immigrated to other parts of Europe and North America in search of better opportunities. One notable bearer of the name was Carl Gustaf Edlund, a Swedish physicist and engineer who lived from 1821 to 1888. He made significant contributions to the field of electromagnetism and is remembered for his work on the Edlund effect, a phenomenon related to the motion of charged particles in a magnetic field.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded individuals with the Edlund surname was Nils Edlund, who arrived in New York City in 1846 from Sweden. Another prominent figure was Verner Edlund, a Swedish-American author and journalist who lived from 1879 to 1970. He was known for his works that explored the experiences of Swedish immigrants in America.
The Edlund name can also be found in historical records from other parts of Scandinavia, particularly Norway and Denmark, where it likely emerged through migration and cultural exchange. One notable Norwegian bearer of the name was Olaf Edlund, a theologian and professor who lived from 1843 to 1911.
While the Edlund surname has its roots in Sweden, it has since spread across the globe, with bearers of the name found in various countries and cultures. The name continues to carry a sense of nobility and honor, reflecting its historical origins and the journey of those who have carried it through the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Edlund
Among Census respondents with the surname Edlund, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Edlund 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 Edlund surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.9% · 1,546
- Two or more races3.9% · 65
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 38
- Black or African American1.1% · 18
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Edlund
Edlund 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
#16,993
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,672
+59 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.57
Rank movement Down 566 places
2020
#16,566
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,682
+10 bearers (+0.6%)
Per 100,000 0.56
Rank movement Up 427 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,427 | 1,613 | 0.60 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,993 | 1,672 | 0.57 | +59 bearers (+3.7%) | Down 566 places |
| 2020 | #16,566 | 1,682 | 0.56 | +10 bearers (+0.6%) | Up 427 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 Edlund 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 | #16,993 | #16,566 | 2.5% |
| Count | 1,672 | 1,682 | 0.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.57 | 0.56 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Edlund bearers went from 1,672 to 1,682 (+0.6% change). The surname moved up 427 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,993 to #16,566.
FAQ
Edlund surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Edlund?
Name Census estimates that about 1,929 living Americans carry the surname Edlund. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 177,685 residents.
How common is Edlund?
Edlund ranks #16,566 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.56 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 1,682 people with the surname Edlund. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,929), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.56 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.56 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 Edlund.
Has Edlund become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Edlund went from 1,672 recorded bearers to 1,682. That is an increase of 10 (+0.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #16,993 to #16,566.
What does the Census say about the background of Edlund?
Among Census respondents with the surname Edlund, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Edlund in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (1,546 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Edlund appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.9%), Two or More Races (3.9%), Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Edlund (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 Edlund mean?
A Swedish-derived surname originally referring to someone from the valley of the river Eda. 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 Edlund (0.56 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 Edlund?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.