2000
#138,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Estby
A place name referring to someone from a location called Estby.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Estby. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Estby 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Estby in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Estby, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Estby
The surname ESTBY is of Scandinavian origin, believed to have originated in Norway or Sweden during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old Norse words "eyst" and "byr," which together translate to "easterly farm" or "eastern village."
The name likely emerged as a descriptive term for individuals who lived in settlements or farmsteads located in the eastern regions of Scandinavia. It is possible that the earliest bearers of this surname were farmers or landowners whose properties were situated in areas that lay to the east.
Historical records from the 13th century mention individuals with the ESTBY surname in various parts of Norway and Sweden. One notable reference is found in the Icelandic Sagas, where an Eystribyr is mentioned as a prominent landowner in the western fjords of Iceland.
In the 14th century, the ESTBY name appears in the Danish Census Rolls, suggesting that individuals with this surname had migrated to Denmark from neighboring Scandinavian regions. A merchant named Esbjorn ESTBY is recorded as having traded goods between Copenhagen and the Hanseatic ports of northern Germany.
During the 16th century, the ESTBY surname spread to other parts of Europe as Scandinavian communities settled in various regions. A Swedish family bearing this name is documented as having established a successful trading business in the Dutch city of Amsterdam in the late 1500s.
Notable individuals with the ESTBY surname include:
1. Olav ESTBY (1672-1734), a Norwegian farmer and local official in the Gudbrandsdalen valley.
2. Ingrid ESTBY (1786-1862), a Swedish weaver and textile artist whose works were exhibited in Stockholm.
3. Jakob ESTBY (1825-1901), a Danish shipbuilder and owner of a prominent shipyard in Aalborg.
4. Erik ESTBY (1878-1942), a Norwegian explorer who led several expeditions to the Arctic regions.
5. Helga ESTBY (1901-1987), a Swedish author and playwright known for her works depicting rural life in northern Sweden.
While the ESTBY surname has remained relatively uncommon outside of Scandinavia, it has persisted as a distinct family name with deep roots in the historical settlements and cultural traditions of the Nordic regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Estby
Among Census respondents with the surname Estby, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Estby 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 Estby surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.7% · 112
- Two or more races3.4% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Estby
Estby 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
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-11 bearers (-9.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 22,234 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+17 bearers (+17.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 16,705 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #138,741 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | -11 bearers (-9.9%) | Down 22,234 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | +17 bearers (+17.0%) | Up 16,705 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 Estby 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 | #160,975 | #144,270 | 10.4% |
| Count | 100 | 117 | 17.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 30.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Estby bearers went from 100 to 117 (+17.0% change). The surname moved up 16,705 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #144,270.
FAQ
Estby surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Estby?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Estby. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Estby?
Estby ranks #144,270 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 117 people with the surname Estby. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), 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 Estby.
Has Estby become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Estby went from 100 recorded bearers to 117. That is an increase of 17 (+17.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Estby?
Among Census respondents with the surname Estby, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Estby in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.7% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Estby appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.7%), Two or More Races (3.4%), Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Estby (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 Estby mean?
A place name referring to someone from a location called Estby. 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 Estby (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 many people have the last name Estby?
Find out how many people are called Estby on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.