Find out how popular the last name Finstad is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Finstad.

Finstad, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Finstad surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Finstad in America

Finstad is the 27021st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Finstad surname appeared 897 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Finstad.

We can also compare 2010 data for Finstad to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Finstad

The surname Finstad has its origins in Norway, and is believed to date back to the Viking Age, which spanned from the late 8th century to the late 11th century. It is derived from the Old Norse words "finn," meaning a person from Finland, and "stadr," meaning a place or settlement.

One of the earliest recorded examples of the name can be found in the Landnámabók, or the Book of Settlements, which chronicles the settlement of Iceland by Norse explorers and Vikings in the 9th and 10th centuries. The name Finstad is mentioned in reference to a settlement established by a Norwegian settler named Finnr, who came from an area now known as Finnskogen, located in the eastern part of Norway near the border with Sweden.

During the Middle Ages, the name Finstad appeared in various Norwegian records and manuscripts, often associated with individuals from the regions of Østfold, Akershus, and Hedmark in eastern Norway. Many of these early mentions of the name were in the context of land ownership and taxation records.

One notable historical figure with the surname Finstad was Halvor Finstad, a Norwegian farmer and rebel leader who played a significant role in the Peasants' Revolt against Danish rule in the late 16th century. He was born around 1540 and led a group of rebellious farmers from the Østfold region in their fight against the Danish authorities.

Another individual of note was Ragnhild Finstad, a Norwegian folk singer and musician who was born in 1908 and gained recognition for her contributions to preserving and promoting traditional Norwegian folk music. She recorded numerous albums and performed extensively throughout Norway and abroad until her death in 1996.

In more recent history, Knut Finstad, born in 1886, was a Norwegian businessman and industrialist who played a significant role in the development of the pulp and paper industry in Norway during the early 20th century. He founded the successful Finstad Cellulose Factory and was a prominent figure in the business community of his time.

Sigurd Finstad, born in 1924, was a Norwegian politician and member of the Labour Party who served as a member of the Storting, the Norwegian parliament, from 1973 to 1985. He was also a member of the Norwegian delegation to the United Nations General Assembly.

The name Finstad has also been associated with various place names in Norway, such as Finstad in Østfold, Finstad in Akershus, and Finstad in Hedmark, reflecting the historical presence of individuals bearing this surname in those regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Finstad

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Finstad.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Finstad was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Finstad has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Finstad was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Finstad, please contact us.

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