2000
#122,534
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 130
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Gangstad
A surname meaning "farm on a path" of Norwegian origin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Gangstad. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gangstad 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Gangstad in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gangstad, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (12.2%) and Hispanic (7.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gangstad
The surname Gangstad is of Norwegian origin and dates back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old Norse words "ganga" meaning "to walk" and "stadr" meaning "place" or "farm." The name likely referred to a person who lived at a farm or homestead located along a well-traveled route or path.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gangstad can be found in the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, a collection of medieval Norwegian diplomas and documents dating back to the 12th century. An individual named Thorstein Gangstad is mentioned in a document from the year 1268, suggesting that the name was already in use by that time.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the name Gangstad appeared in various Norwegian records, often associated with landowners or farmers in the regions of Vestfold, Telemark, and Oppland. Some notable historical figures with this surname include:
1. Halvor Gangstad (c. 1540 - 1620), a Norwegian farmer and local chieftain in Numedal, known for his leadership during the Norwegian Peasant Revolt of 1612-1615.
2. Ingrid Gangstad (c. 1620 - 1690), a Norwegian landowner and businesswoman who owned several farms and properties in the Valdres region.
3. Nils Gangstad (1745 - 1821), a Norwegian farmer and local politician who served as a member of the Storting, the Norwegian parliament, in the early 19th century.
4. Ole Gangstad (1802 - 1879), a Norwegian farmer and writer who authored several works on agriculture and rural life in Norway during the 19th century.
5. Knut Gangstad (1875 - 1963), a Norwegian architect and designer known for his work on several notable buildings in Oslo, including the National Theater and the Royal Palace.
The name Gangstad has also been associated with various place names in Norway, such as Gangstad Farm in Ringerike, Gangstad Valley in Numedal, and Gangstad Mountain in Oppland. These place names likely originated from the presence of farms or settlements bearing the Gangstad name in those areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gangstad
Among Census respondents with the surname Gangstad, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (12.2%) and Hispanic (7.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Gangstad 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 Gangstad surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.9% · 85
- Two or more races12.2% · 14
- Hispanic or Latino7.8% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.5% · 4
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gangstad
Gangstad 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
#133,048
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
-3 bearers (-2.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,514 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-12 bearers (-9.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,709 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #122,534 | 130 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #133,048 | 127 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.3%) | Down 10,514 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | -12 bearers (-9.4%) | Down 12,709 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 Gangstad 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 | #133,048 | #145,757 | -9.6% |
| Count | 127 | 115 | -9.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gangstad bearers went from 127 to 115 (-9.4% change). The surname moved down 12,709 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,048 to #145,757.
FAQ
Gangstad surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gangstad?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Gangstad. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Gangstad?
Gangstad ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Gangstad. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Gangstad.
Has Gangstad become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gangstad went from 127 recorded bearers to 115. That is a decrease of 12 (-9.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,048 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Gangstad?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gangstad, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (12.2%) and Hispanic (7.8%). 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 Gangstad in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.9% (85 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gangstad appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.9%), Two or More Races (12.2%), Hispanic (7.8%). 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 Gangstad (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 Gangstad mean?
A surname meaning "farm on a path" of Norwegian origin. 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 Gangstad (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 Gangstad?
Find out how common the surname Gangstad is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.