2000
#139,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Forsmark
A locational surname indicating someone from Forsmark, Sweden.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Forsmark. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Forsmark 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Forsmark in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Forsmark, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.5%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Forsmark
The surname Forsmark originated in Sweden during the 17th century. It is a locational name derived from the village of Forsmark, located in Uppsala County. The name Forsmark is believed to have been formed from the Old Norse words "fors" meaning "waterfall" and "mark" meaning "borderland" or "woodland."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname appears in the baptismal records of the Parish of Forsmark in 1667, where a man named Erik Forsmark was listed. It is likely that he was a resident of the village and took on the place name as his surname.
In the late 17th century, a notable figure with the surname Forsmark was Johan Forsmark (1660-1733), a Swedish military officer who served during the Great Northern War. He rose to the rank of Colonel and was awarded the title of Baron.
Another historical figure bearing the name was Carl Gustav Forsmark (1783-1847), a Swedish politician and judge. He served as the President of the Göta Court of Appeal from 1835 until his death.
The name Forsmark also appears in the early 19th century with the birth of Nils Peter Forsmark (1825-1892), a Swedish painter known for his landscape and genre works. His paintings can be found in the collections of several Swedish museums.
In the late 19th century, the surname gained further recognition with the birth of Gustaf Forsmark (1868-1948), a Swedish industrialist and businessman. He played a significant role in the development of the Swedish forestry industry and was a prominent figure in the city of Sundsvall.
The surname Forsmark has also been recorded with slight variations in spelling, such as Forssmark and Forsmarck, in historical documents from the 18th and 19th centuries. These variations are likely due to the influence of local dialects and regional spellings.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Forsmark
Among Census respondents with the surname Forsmark, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.5%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Forsmark 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 Forsmark surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.7% · 96
- Two or more races7.5% · 8
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Forsmark
Forsmark 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
#135,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
+14 bearers (+12.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,164 places
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-17 bearers (-13.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,046 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #139,757 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #135,593 | 124 | 0.04 | +14 bearers (+12.7%) | Up 4,164 places |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -17 bearers (-13.7%) | Down 16,046 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 Forsmark 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 | #135,593 | #151,639 | -11.8% |
| Count | 124 | 107 | -13.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Forsmark bearers went from 124 to 107 (-13.7% change). The surname moved down 16,046 positions in the national ranking, going from #135,593 to #151,639.
FAQ
Forsmark surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Forsmark?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Forsmark. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Forsmark?
Forsmark ranks #151,639 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 107 people with the surname Forsmark. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), 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 Forsmark.
Has Forsmark become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Forsmark went from 124 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 17 (-13.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #135,593 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Forsmark?
Among Census respondents with the surname Forsmark, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.5%) and Black (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 Forsmark in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Forsmark appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.7%), Two or More Races (7.5%), Black (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 Forsmark (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 Forsmark mean?
A locational surname indicating someone from Forsmark, Sweden. 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 Forsmark (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 common is the surname Forsmark?
Find out how many people have the last name Forsmark on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.