2000
#10,261
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,879
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.07
Rare Last name
Ekstrom
A Swedish surname derived from the place name Ekström, meaning "oak stream" or "oak island."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,203 Americans carry the last name Ekstrom. That puts it at #10,897 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.93 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 107,010 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ekstrom 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
3.2K
1 in 107,010
Census rank
#10,897
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,793 bearers of the surname Ekstrom in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.93 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10897th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ekstrom, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ekstrom
The surname Ekstrom originated in Sweden during the late 17th century. It was derived from the Old Swedish word "ek," meaning oak, and "ström," meaning stream. The name likely referred to someone who lived near an oak tree or a stream with oak trees growing along its banks.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Ekstrom name was found in the Swedish church records from the parish of Östra Husby in Östergötland county, dating back to the late 1600s. The name was also present in the parish records of Linköping, Småland, and Västergötland during the 18th century.
In the 19th century, several notable individuals with the surname Ekstrom emerged. Johan Alfred Ekstrom (1830-1888) was a Swedish botanist and explorer who contributed significantly to the study of plant life in South Africa. Nils Ekstrom (1836-1909) was a Swedish painter and illustrator known for his depictions of rural life and landscapes.
Another prominent figure was Carl Gustaf Ekstrom (1793-1860), a Swedish politician and jurist who served as the Prime Minister of Sweden from 1858 to 1859. In the late 19th century, Hjalmar Ekstrom (1853-1923) was a Swedish architect responsible for designing several notable buildings in Stockholm, including the Kungliga Operan (Royal Swedish Opera).
During the early 20th century, Gustav Ekstrom (1887-1964) was a Swedish artist and sculptor known for his modernist works and collaborations with renowned architects such as Gunnar Asplund and Sven Markelius.
While the name Ekstrom has its roots in Sweden, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through immigration. However, the earliest recorded instances and notable figures bearing this surname can be traced back to its Swedish origins and the areas where it was first documented.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ekstrom
Among Census respondents with the surname Ekstrom, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Ekstrom 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 Ekstrom surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 2,574
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 98
- Two or more races2.6% · 72
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 27
- Black or African American0.5% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ekstrom
Ekstrom 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
#8,659
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,795
+916 bearers (+31.8%)
Per 100,000 1.29
Rank movement Up 1,602 places
2020
#10,897
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,793
-1,002 bearers (-26.4%)
Per 100,000 0.93
Rank movement Down 2,238 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,261 | 2,879 | 1.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,659 | 3,795 | 1.29 | +916 bearers (+31.8%) | Up 1,602 places |
| 2020 | #10,897 | 2,793 | 0.93 | -1,002 bearers (-26.4%) | Down 2,238 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 Ekstrom 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 | #8,659 | #10,897 | -25.8% |
| Count | 3,795 | 2,793 | -26.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.29 | 0.93 | -27.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ekstrom bearers went from 3,795 to 2,793 (-26.4% change). The surname moved down 2,238 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,659 to #10,897.
FAQ
Ekstrom surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ekstrom?
Name Census estimates that about 3,203 living Americans carry the surname Ekstrom. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 107,010 residents.
How common is Ekstrom?
Ekstrom ranks #10,897 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.93 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 2,793 people with the surname Ekstrom. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,203), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.93 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.93 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 Ekstrom.
Has Ekstrom become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ekstrom went from 3,795 recorded bearers to 2,793. That is a decrease of 1,002 (-26.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,659 to #10,897.
What does the Census say about the background of Ekstrom?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ekstrom, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) 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 Ekstrom in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (2,574 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ekstrom appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Hispanic (3.5%), 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 Ekstrom (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 Ekstrom mean?
A Swedish surname derived from the place name Ekström, meaning "oak stream" or "oak island." 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 Ekstrom (0.93 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 are called Ekstrom?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Ekstrom, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.