2000
#9,069
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,314
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.23
Rare Last name
Hedlund
A Swedish toponymic surname derived from the words hed, meaning "heath," and lund, meaning "grove" or "small forest."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,844 Americans carry the last name Hedlund. That puts it at #9,320 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.12 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 89,166 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hedlund 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
3.8K
1 in 89,166
Census rank
#9,320
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,352 bearers of the surname Hedlund in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.12 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9320th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hedlund, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hedlund
The surname Hedlund has its origins in Scandinavia, specifically in Sweden. It is derived from the Old Swedish words "hede," meaning "heath" or "moor," and "lund," meaning "grove" or "small forest." The name likely referred to someone who lived near a heathland or forest area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hedlund can be found in the Swedish census records from the 17th century. The name was particularly common in the provinces of Småland and Västergötland during this time period.
In the late 18th century, a notable figure named Johan Hedlund (1720-1792) was a Swedish botanist and professor at the University of Lund. He made significant contributions to the study of plant taxonomy and is remembered for his extensive collection of botanical specimens.
Another prominent individual with the surname Hedlund was Sven Hedlund (1828-1917), a Swedish politician and member of the Riksdag (the national legislature). He played a crucial role in the development of Sweden's national education system and advocated for educational reforms.
In the 20th century, the name Hedlund gained recognition through the work of Gustaf Hedlund (1889-1965), a Swedish mathematician known for his contributions to the field of dynamical systems and ergodic theory. He spent much of his career teaching at the University of Stockholm.
A notable figure from more recent times is the Swedish actress Lena Hedlund (born 1954), who has appeared in numerous films and television series, both in Sweden and internationally. She is particularly renowned for her role in the 1985 film "Hilda Huskies" and has received several awards for her acting performances.
While the surname Hedlund has its roots in Sweden, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to immigration patterns. However, the name remains most prevalent in Scandinavia and among individuals of Swedish descent.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hedlund
Among Census respondents with the surname Hedlund, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Hedlund 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 Hedlund surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 3,044
- Two or more races3.8% · 128
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 103
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 38
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 23
- Black or African American0.5% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hedlund
Hedlund 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
#9,701
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,344
+30 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 1.13
Rank movement Down 632 places
2020
#9,320
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,352
+8 bearers (+0.2%)
Per 100,000 1.12
Rank movement Up 381 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,069 | 3,314 | 1.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,701 | 3,344 | 1.13 | +30 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 632 places |
| 2020 | #9,320 | 3,352 | 1.12 | +8 bearers (+0.2%) | Up 381 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 Hedlund 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 | #9,701 | #9,320 | 3.9% |
| Count | 3,344 | 3,352 | 0.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.13 | 1.12 | -0.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hedlund bearers went from 3,344 to 3,352 (+0.2% change). The surname moved up 381 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,701 to #9,320.
FAQ
Hedlund surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hedlund?
Name Census estimates that about 3,844 living Americans carry the surname Hedlund. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 89,166 residents.
How common is Hedlund?
Hedlund ranks #9,320 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.12 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,352 people with the surname Hedlund. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,844), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.12 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.12 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Hedlund.
Has Hedlund become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hedlund went from 3,344 recorded bearers to 3,352. That is an increase of 8 (+0.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,701 to #9,320.
What does the Census say about the background of Hedlund?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hedlund, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Hedlund in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (3,044 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hedlund appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Hedlund (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 Hedlund mean?
A Swedish toponymic surname derived from the words hed, meaning "heath," and lund, meaning "grove" or "small forest." 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 Hedlund (1.12 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 Hedlund?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.