2000
#50,468
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 389
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.14
Very Rare Last name
Erstad
A surname derived from a Scandinavian place name referring to a farmstead or estate.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 456 Americans carry the last name Erstad. That puts it at #55,632 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 751,654 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Erstad 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
456
1 in 751,654
Census rank
#55,632
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
398
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 398 bearers of the surname Erstad in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 55632nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Erstad, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Erstad
The surname Erstad originates from Norway, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Old Norse words "erð" meaning "sandy ground" and "staðr" signifying "place" or "farm." This etymology suggests that the name was initially associated with individuals who lived on or owned sandy, arable land.
Erstad is a locational surname, indicating that the earliest bearers of this name hailed from a specific place known as Erstad. Historical records show that there were several villages and farms bearing this name in various parts of Norway, particularly in the regions of Vestfold, Østfold, and Telemark.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Erstad name dates back to the 14th century, when it appeared in the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, a collection of medieval Norwegian diplomatic documents. This suggests that the name had already established itself as a distinct surname by that time.
In the 16th century, the Erstad surname can be found in a Norwegian census record from 1593, which listed several individuals bearing this name in the town of Tønsberg, located in the county of Vestfold.
The 17th century saw the emergence of a prominent figure named Hallvard Erstad (1615-1679), a Norwegian clergyman and author who served as the rector of the Cathedral School in Trondheim. His literary works, including a Latin grammar book and a collection of sermons, contributed to the dissemination of the Erstad name within academic and religious circles.
Another notable individual with the Erstad surname was Hans Erstad (1798-1873), a Norwegian poet and playwright born in the village of Eidsvoll. His literary works, often infused with patriotic themes and a celebration of Norwegian culture, gained him recognition during the Romantic Nationalist movement of the 19th century.
In the 20th century, Rolf Erstad (1905-1986) was a Norwegian businessman and philanthropist who made significant contributions to the development of the town of Sandefjord. He established several businesses and donated generously to educational and cultural institutions, leaving a lasting impact on the local community.
The Erstad name has also been associated with various locations and place names throughout Norway. For instance, the farm Erstad Søndre in Sandefjord and the village of Erstad in Østfold both bear the name, serving as reminders of its geographical origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Erstad
Among Census respondents with the surname Erstad, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Erstad 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 Erstad surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.7% · 369
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 18
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 5
- Two or more races1.3% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Erstad
Erstad 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
#51,396
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 405
+16 bearers (+4.1%)
Per 100,000 0.14
Rank movement Down 928 places
2020
#55,632
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 398
-7 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.13
Rank movement Down 4,236 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #50,468 | 389 | 0.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #51,396 | 405 | 0.14 | +16 bearers (+4.1%) | Down 928 places |
| 2020 | #55,632 | 398 | 0.13 | -7 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 4,236 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 Erstad 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 | #51,396 | #55,632 | -8.2% |
| Count | 405 | 398 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.14 | 0.13 | -4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Erstad bearers went from 405 to 398 (-1.7% change). The surname moved down 4,236 positions in the national ranking, going from #51,396 to #55,632.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Erstad
FAQ
Erstad surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Erstad?
Name Census estimates that about 456 living Americans carry the surname Erstad. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 751,654 residents.
How common is Erstad?
Erstad ranks #55,632 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.13 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 398 people with the surname Erstad. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (456), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.13 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 Erstad.
Has Erstad become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Erstad went from 405 recorded bearers to 398. That is a decrease of 7 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #51,396 to #55,632.
What does the Census say about the background of Erstad?
Among Census respondents with the surname Erstad, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.3%). 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 Erstad in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (369 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Erstad appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.7%), Hispanic (4.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.3%). 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 Erstad (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 Erstad mean?
A surname derived from a Scandinavian place name referring to a farmstead or estate. 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 Erstad (0.13 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 Erstad?
You can see how many people have the last name Erstad on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.