2010
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Hagfors
A Swedish toponymic surname derived from a location name meaning "the hag's rapids".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Hagfors. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hagfors 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Hagfors in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hagfors, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Black (1.7%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hagfors
The surname Hagfors has its origins in Sweden, emerging in the 17th century. It is a locational name derived from the Swedish words "hag," meaning a meadow or pasture, and "fors," referring to a rapids or waterfall. This suggests that the name likely originated in an area near a meadow with a waterfall or rapids.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Hagfors can be found in the parish records of Värmland County, Sweden, in the late 1600s. It is believed that the name may have initially been used as a descriptive identifier for individuals living near a particular meadow with a waterfall or rapids.
In the 19th century, the surname Hagfors began to appear more frequently in Swedish census records and official documents. Notable individuals bearing this name during this time period include Johan Hagfors (1812-1887), a Swedish farmer and landowner from Värmland, and Anna Hagfors (1831-1904), a respected seamstress from the same region.
As the name spread beyond its initial origins, variations in spelling emerged, such as Hagforss and Hagfors. One notable bearer of the latter spelling was Carl Hagfors (1875-1942), a Swedish architect who designed several prominent buildings in Stockholm.
In the early 20th century, the surname Hagfors gained international recognition through the work of Elin Hagfors (1893-1968), a Swedish-American author and illustrator of children's books. Her most famous works include "The Little Swedish Cousin" and "The Wonderful Adventures of Nils."
Another notable figure with this surname was Gunnar Hagfors (1920-1983), a Swedish professional ice hockey player who represented Sweden in the 1952 Winter Olympics and later became a successful coach.
While the surname Hagfors is relatively uncommon outside of Sweden, it has left a lasting legacy as a locational name reflecting the country's rich landscape and cultural heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hagfors
Among Census respondents with the surname Hagfors, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Black (1.7%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Hagfors 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 Hagfors surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.9% · 111
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hagfors
Hagfors 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
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+10 bearers (+9.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 8,358 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+9.3%) | Up 8,358 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 Hagfors 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 | #152,628 | #144,270 | 5.5% |
| Count | 107 | 117 | 9.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hagfors bearers went from 107 to 117 (+9.3% change). The surname moved up 8,358 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #144,270.
FAQ
Hagfors surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hagfors?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Hagfors. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Hagfors?
Hagfors ranks #144,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 117 people with the surname Hagfors. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), 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 Hagfors.
Has Hagfors become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hagfors went from 107 recorded bearers to 117. That is an increase of 10 (+9.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #152,628 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Hagfors?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hagfors, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Black (1.7%) and Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Hagfors in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.9% (111 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hagfors appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.9%), Black (1.7%), Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Hagfors (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 Hagfors mean?
A Swedish toponymic surname derived from a location name meaning "the hag's rapids". 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 Hagfors (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 have the surname Hagfors?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.