2000
#5,333
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,016
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.23
Rare Last name
Ericson
Son of Eric, an English patronymic surname derived from the Scandinavian personal name Eric or Old Norse Eiríkr.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,575 Americans carry the last name Ericson. That puts it at #5,812 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.92 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 52,130 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ericson 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Ericson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.6K
1 in 52,130
Census rank
#5,812
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,734 bearers of the surname Ericson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.92 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5812th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ericson, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ericson
The surname Ericson has its origins in Scandinavia, particularly in Sweden and Norway. It is a patronymic surname, meaning it was derived from the given name of the father or ancestor. In this case, Ericson means "son of Eric," with Eric being a common name in these regions.
The name Eric itself has roots in the Old Norse name Eiríkr, which is believed to be derived from the words "ei," meaning "ever," and "ríkr," meaning "ruler" or "powerful." As such, Ericson was originally a surname given to the sons of men named Eric, indicating their lineage and family ties.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Ericson can be found in the Icelandic Sagas, a collection of narratives written in the 13th and 14th centuries. These sagas often mentioned individuals with the surname Ericson, indicating the prevalence of the name in Scandinavian societies during that time period.
In the 16th century, the surname Ericson appeared in various Swedish and Norwegian records, such as parish registers and census documents. Notable individuals with this surname include Leif Ericson, the famous Norse explorer credited with being the first European to reach North America around the year 1000 AD.
Another prominent figure was Nils Ericson, a Swedish industrialist and inventor who lived from 1802 to 1870. He was best known for designing and building the Swedish rail network, as well as contributing to the development of the screw propeller for ships.
In the 19th century, Johan Ericson (1818-1898) was a Swedish-American engineer and entrepreneur who founded the Ericsson Telephone Company, which later became one of the leading telecommunications companies in the world.
Leif Ericson Day, celebrated on October 9th, commemorates the arrival of the famous explorer in North America and acknowledges the contributions of Scandinavian immigrants to the United States.
Over the centuries, the surname Ericson has also been spelled in various ways, such as Eriksson, Erickson, and Ericsson, reflecting regional variations and linguistic adaptations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ericson
Among Census respondents with the surname Ericson, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Ericson 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 Ericson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.6% · 5,137
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 264
- Two or more races3.5% · 199
- Black or African American1.1% · 61
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 57
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ericson
Ericson 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
#5,762
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,014
-2 bearers (-0.0%)
Per 100,000 2.04
Rank movement Down 429 places
2020
#5,812
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,734
-280 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 1.92
Rank movement Down 50 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,333 | 6,016 | 2.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,762 | 6,014 | 2.04 | -2 bearers (-0.0%) | Down 429 places |
| 2020 | #5,812 | 5,734 | 1.92 | -280 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 50 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 Ericson 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 | #5,762 | #5,812 | -0.9% |
| Count | 6,014 | 5,734 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 2.04 | 1.92 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ericson bearers went from 6,014 to 5,734 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 50 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,762 to #5,812.
FAQ
Ericson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ericson?
Name Census estimates that about 6,575 living Americans carry the surname Ericson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 52,130 residents.
How common is Ericson?
Ericson ranks #5,812 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.92 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,734 people with the surname Ericson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,575), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.92 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.92 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Ericson.
Has Ericson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ericson went from 6,014 recorded bearers to 5,734. That is a decrease of 280 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,762 to #5,812.
What does the Census say about the background of Ericson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ericson, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Ericson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.6% (5,137 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ericson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.6%), Hispanic (4.6%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Ericson (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 Ericson mean?
Son of Eric, an English patronymic surname derived from the Scandinavian personal name Eric or Old Norse Eiríkr. 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 Ericson (1.92 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 Ericson?
See how many people are called Ericson on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.