2000
#149,328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Flugstad
A locational surname from an area with meadows or pastures.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Flugstad. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Flugstad 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Flugstad in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Flugstad, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Flugstad
The surname Flugstad originates from Norway, with its earliest known record dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old Norse words "flugr," meaning "bird," and "stadr," meaning "place" or "homestead." This suggests that the name likely referred to a settlement or farm where birds were abundant or perhaps a place where falconry was practiced.
One of the earliest documented instances of the name Flugstad can be found in the parish records of Skjåk, a municipality in the county of Oppland, Norway, from the late 1500s. The name is also mentioned in various land registers and census records from the same region during the 17th and 18th centuries.
Notably, the Flugstad name appears in the 1666 Norwegian census, which was one of the earliest attempts at a nationwide population count in the country. This historical record provides valuable insights into the distribution and prevalence of the name during that era.
In terms of notable individuals bearing the Flugstad surname, one of the earliest recorded was Ola Flugstad, a farmer and landowner who lived in the Gudbrandsdalen valley of Norway in the mid-17th century. Another prominent figure was Hans Flugstad, a member of the Norwegian resistance movement during World War II, who was executed by German forces in 1944 for his role in the struggle against the occupation.
Moving forward in time, Ingrid Flugstad Østberg, born in 1990, is a contemporary Norwegian cross-country skier who has won numerous medals at international competitions, including gold at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
Other notable individuals with the Flugstad surname include Bjørn Flugstad, a Norwegian politician and member of the Norwegian Parliament from 2009 to 2017, and Knut Flugstad, a Norwegian businessman and entrepreneur who founded the successful outdoor equipment company Norrøna in 1929.
While the name Flugstad is predominantly found in Norway, it has also been carried by Norwegian immigrants and their descendants in other parts of the world, such as North America and Australia. However, historical records indicate that the name's origins and earliest documented usage can be traced back to the rugged landscapes and farming communities of central Norway.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Flugstad
Among Census respondents with the surname Flugstad, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Flugstad 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 Flugstad surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.0% · 115
- Two or more races3.3% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Flugstad
Flugstad 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
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+11 bearers (+10.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,075 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+9 bearers (+8.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,944 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #149,328 | 101 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+10.9%) | Up 2,075 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+8.0%) | Up 5,944 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 Flugstad 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 | #147,253 | #141,309 | 4.0% |
| Count | 112 | 121 | 8.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Flugstad bearers went from 112 to 121 (+8.0% change). The surname moved up 5,944 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #141,309.
FAQ
Flugstad surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Flugstad?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Flugstad. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Flugstad?
Flugstad ranks #141,309 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 121 people with the surname Flugstad. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), 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 Flugstad.
Has Flugstad become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Flugstad went from 112 recorded bearers to 121. That is an increase of 9 (+8.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #147,253 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Flugstad?
Among Census respondents with the surname Flugstad, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (0.8%). 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 Flugstad in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.0% (115 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Flugstad appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.0%), Two or More Races (3.3%), Hispanic (0.8%). 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 Flugstad (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 Flugstad mean?
A locational surname from an area with meadows or pastures. 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 Flugstad (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 share the surname Flugstad?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.