2010
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Fornander
A Swedish surname indicating a person's former occupation or status.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Fornander. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fornander 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Fornander in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fornander, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fornander
The surname Fornander has its origins in Sweden, dating back to the early 17th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old Swedish words "forn" meaning ancient or old, and "ander" meaning spirit or ghost. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who was believed to have connections with ancient spirits or ancestors.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the parish records of Södra Sandby, a village in the southern Swedish province of Skåne, in the year 1628. The entry mentions a man named Jöns Fornander, who was a farmer in the area.
In the late 17th century, the name can be found in the records of the Swedish East India Company, where a man named Johan Fornander served as a captain and sailed to various parts of the world, including India and China.
The name Fornander is also associated with a notable Swedish scholar and writer, Abraham Fornander, who lived from 1812 to 1887. He is best known for his extensive research and writings on the history, culture, and traditions of the Hawaiian Islands, where he spent a significant portion of his life.
Another individual of note who bore this surname was Carl Fornander, a Swedish military officer and cartographer who lived from 1740 to 1809. He is remembered for his contributions to the mapping and surveying of various regions of Sweden during the late 18th century.
In the 19th century, the name Fornander can be found in various historical records from Sweden, including church registers and census documents. One example is Gustaf Fornander, born in 1825, who was a prominent businessman and entrepreneur in the city of Gothenburg.
Throughout its history, the surname Fornander has also been associated with various place names in Sweden, such as Fornander's Farm (Fornanders Gård) in the municipality of Eslöv, and Fornander's Village (Fornanders By) in the municipality of Hässleholm, both located in the southern region of the country.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fornander
Among Census respondents with the surname Fornander, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Fornander 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 Fornander surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.7% · 93
- Hispanic or Latino10.4% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fornander
Fornander 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
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
+3 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,895 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.9%) | Up 4,895 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 Fornander 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 | #157,234 | #152,339 | 3.1% |
| Count | 103 | 106 | 2.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 18.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fornander bearers went from 103 to 106 (+2.9% change). The surname moved up 4,895 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #152,339.
FAQ
Fornander surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fornander?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Fornander. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Fornander?
Fornander ranks #152,339 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 106 people with the surname Fornander. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), 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 Fornander.
Has Fornander become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fornander went from 103 recorded bearers to 106. That is an increase of 3 (+2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Fornander?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fornander, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (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 Fornander in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.7% (93 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fornander appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.7%), Hispanic (10.4%), American Indian/Alaska Native (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 Fornander (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 Fornander mean?
A Swedish surname indicating a person's former occupation or status. 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 Fornander (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 are called Fornander?
You can see how many people have the surname Fornander on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.