2010
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Ettestad
A Norwegian place name referring to one who came from the Ettestad farm.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Ettestad. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ettestad 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Ettestad in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ettestad, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.2%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ettestad
The surname Ettestad originates from Norway, with its earliest known records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the old Norse words "ette," meaning "family or lineage," and "stad," which translates to "place or location." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a specific place or settlement associated with a particular family or clan.
One of the earliest documented instances of the name Ettestad can be found in the parish records of Telemark, a region in southern Norway, where it appears as "Ettestadh" in the late 1500s. This spelling variation likely reflects the local dialect and pronunciation of the time.
The name Ettestad is also closely linked to the town of Etne, located in the county of Hordaland, western Norway. It is possible that the surname originated from this area and was initially used to identify individuals or families hailing from the region.
In the 17th century, the Ettestad name appeared in historical records related to land ownership and taxation in the Trøndelag region of central Norway. This suggests that some families bearing this surname may have been landowners or prominent members of local communities during that period.
Notable individuals with the surname Ettestad include:
1. Bjørn Ettestad (1632-1701), a Norwegian farmer and landowner from the Gudbrandsdalen valley, known for his significant landholdings and contributions to agricultural development in the area.
2. Ingrid Ettestad (1798-1865), a Norwegian educator and pioneering advocate for women's education, who established one of the first schools for girls in the city of Bergen.
3. Arne Ettestad (1857-1932), a Norwegian politician and member of the Storting (the Norwegian parliament), representing the Liberal Party from 1897 to 1903.
4. Knut Ettestad (1889-1961), a Norwegian artist renowned for his landscape paintings depicting the rugged beauty of the Norwegian fjords and mountains.
5. Liv Ettestad (born 1976), a contemporary Norwegian author and journalist, whose works explore themes of identity, family, and social issues in modern Norway.
While the surname Ettestad is relatively uncommon outside of Norway, it holds a rich history and connection to the country's cultural heritage, dating back several centuries. Its origins and variations reflect the linguistic and geographical diversity of Norway's regions, contributing to the tapestry of Norwegian surnames.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ettestad
Among Census respondents with the surname Ettestad, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.2%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Ettestad 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 Ettestad surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.0% · 96
- Two or more races6.2% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.7% · 3
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ettestad
Ettestad appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+3 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,174 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.7%) | Up 2,174 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 Ettestad 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 | #149,395 | #147,221 | 1.5% |
| Count | 110 | 113 | 2.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ettestad bearers went from 110 to 113 (+2.7% change). The surname moved up 2,174 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #147,221.
FAQ
Ettestad surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ettestad?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Ettestad. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Ettestad?
Ettestad ranks #147,221 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 113 people with the surname Ettestad. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), 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 Ettestad.
Has Ettestad become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ettestad went from 110 recorded bearers to 113. That is an increase of 3 (+2.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #149,395 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Ettestad?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ettestad, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.2%) and Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Ettestad in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.0% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ettestad appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.0%), Two or More Races (6.2%), Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Ettestad (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 Ettestad mean?
A Norwegian place name referring to one who came from the Ettestad farm. 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 Ettestad (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 Americans have the surname Ettestad?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.