2000
#136,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Elquist
A surname derived from a place name in Sweden.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Elquist. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Elquist 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Elquist in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Elquist, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.7%) and Two or More Races (6.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Elquist
The surname Elquist has its origins in Sweden, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old Swedish word "elk," which means "river," and the suffix "-vist," meaning "place of residence." This suggests that the name originally referred to someone who lived near a river or a specific body of water.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Elquist can be found in the Swedish Census Records of 1530, where a man named Johan Elquist was listed as a resident of the town of Västerås. This town is situated along the Svartån River, lending credence to the theory that the name is associated with a geographic location near a waterway.
In the 17th century, the Elquist surname appeared in the parish records of the village of Hällefors, located in the province of Västmanland. This area was known for its rich iron ore deposits and thriving metalworking industry, indicating that some Elquists may have been involved in mining or metalsmithing.
A notable figure bearing the Elquist name was Carl Gustav Elquist (1738-1812), a Swedish clergyman and writer who served as a parish priest in the town of Norrköping. His works included several religious texts and sermons that were published during his lifetime.
Another historically significant individual was Nils Elquist (1802-1870), a Swedish artist and painter who specialized in landscape and portrait paintings. His works were exhibited in various galleries across Sweden and are now part of several museum collections.
In the late 19th century, the Elquist surname gained prominence in the field of engineering and technology. Gustaf Elquist (1867-1942) was a Swedish inventor and industrialist who patented several innovations in the manufacturing of matches and matchboxes, contributing significantly to the Swedish match industry.
The Elquist name also extended to the realm of academia and scholarship. Eva Elquist (1919-2007) was a renowned Swedish linguist and scholar of Scandinavian languages, who made significant contributions to the study of Swedish grammar and phonology.
These examples illustrate the diverse backgrounds and professions associated with the Elquist surname throughout history, reflecting its deep roots in Swedish culture and society.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Elquist
Among Census respondents with the surname Elquist, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.7%) and Two or More Races (6.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Elquist 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 Elquist surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.9% · 82
- Hispanic or Latino11.7% · 13
- Two or more races6.3% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native4.5% · 5
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Elquist
Elquist 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
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+7 bearers (+6.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,445 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-9 bearers (-7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,437 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #136,783 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.2%) | Down 2,445 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.5%) | Down 9,437 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 Elquist 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 | #139,228 | #148,665 | -6.8% |
| Count | 120 | 111 | -7.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Elquist bearers went from 120 to 111 (-7.5% change). The surname moved down 9,437 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #148,665.
FAQ
Elquist surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Elquist?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Elquist. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Elquist?
Elquist ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Elquist. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Elquist.
Has Elquist become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Elquist went from 120 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 9 (-7.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Elquist?
Among Census respondents with the surname Elquist, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.7%) and Two or More Races (6.3%). 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 Elquist in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.9% (82 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Elquist appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.9%), Hispanic (11.7%), Two or More Races (6.3%). 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 Elquist (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 Elquist mean?
A surname derived from a place name in Sweden. 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 Elquist (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 Elquist?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Elquist at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.