2000
#148,244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Gidlund
A surname indicating a person from a geographical location.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 116 Americans carry the last name Gidlund. That puts it at #155,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,954,779 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gidlund 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
116
1 in 2,954,779
Census rank
#155,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
101
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 101 bearers of the surname Gidlund in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gidlund, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.9%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gidlund
The surname Gidlund is of Swedish origin, emerging in the late 18th century. It is believed to have originated from the province of Dalarna, located in central Sweden. The name is a combination of the Old Swedish word "gidd," meaning "mountain pasture," and "lund," which translates to "grove" or "small forest." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived near or worked in a mountain pasture area surrounded by small forests or groves.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Gidlund surname can be found in the parish records of Mora, a town in Dalarna, dating back to the late 1700s. The name was likely derived from a specific location or farm within the region, as it was common for surnames to be based on geographic locations or occupations during that time period.
Historical references to individuals bearing the Gidlund surname are relatively scarce, as it was not a widely distributed name. However, one notable figure was Anders Gidlund, a Swedish politician who served as a member of the Riksdag (the national legislature) in the mid-19th century, representing the county of Kopparberg (now known as Dalarna).
In the early 20th century, a man named Olof Gidlund (1876-1958) gained recognition as a prominent Swedish architect and urban planner. He was responsible for the design of several notable buildings in Stockholm, including the Stockholm City Library and the Royal Institute of Technology.
Another individual of note was Erik Gidlund (1897-1976), a Swedish-American actor and film director who worked primarily in Hollywood during the golden age of cinema. He appeared in several films throughout the 1930s and 1940s, often portraying character roles with a Swedish or Scandinavian background.
A more recent figure was Gunnar Gidlund (1905-1985), a Swedish businessman and entrepreneur who founded the successful furniture company Gidlund Möbler in the 1940s. The company became known for its innovative designs and quality craftsmanship, contributing to the rise of Swedish modern furniture design in the mid-20th century.
While the Gidlund surname is not among the most common in Sweden, it remains a part of the country's cultural and historical heritage, with roots tracing back to the mountainous regions of central Sweden and a connection to the natural landscape and traditional occupations of the area.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gidlund
Among Census respondents with the surname Gidlund, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.9%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Gidlund 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 Gidlund surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.1% · 92
- Two or more races5.9% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 2
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gidlund
Gidlund 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
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-2 bearers (-2.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 12,731 places
2020
#155,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
+1 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 5,705 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #148,244 | 102 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | -2 bearers (-2.0%) | Down 12,731 places |
| 2020 | #155,270 | 101 | 0.03 | +1 bearers (+1.0%) | Up 5,705 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 Gidlund 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 | #160,975 | #155,270 | 3.5% |
| Count | 100 | 101 | 1.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 12.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gidlund bearers went from 100 to 101 (+1.0% change). The surname moved up 5,705 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #155,270.
FAQ
Gidlund surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gidlund?
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the surname Gidlund. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,954,779 residents.
How common is Gidlund?
Gidlund ranks #155,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 101 people with the surname Gidlund. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (116), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Gidlund.
Has Gidlund become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gidlund went from 100 recorded bearers to 101. That is an increase of 1 (+1.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #155,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Gidlund?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gidlund, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.9%) and Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Gidlund in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (92 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gidlund appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.1%), Two or More Races (5.9%), Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Gidlund (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 Gidlund mean?
A surname indicating a person from a geographical location. 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 Gidlund (0.03 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 Gidlund?
You can see how many people have the last name Gidlund on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.