2000
#19,428
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,288
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.48
Rare Last name
Isakson
A surname of Scandinavian origin meaning "son of Isak" or "Isaac's son".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,549 Americans carry the last name Isakson. That puts it at #19,937 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.45 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 221,275 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Isakson 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
1.5K
1 in 221,275
Census rank
#19,937
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,351 bearers of the surname Isakson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.45 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 19937th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Isakson, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Isakson
The surname Isakson has its origins in Scandinavia, specifically in Sweden and Norway. It likely emerged around the 13th or 14th century as a patronymic surname, meaning it was derived from the given name of the father or an ancestor.
In its earliest form, the name was likely spelled "Isaksson" or variations such as "Isackson," indicating "son of Isak," with Isak being a Scandinavian form of the biblical name Isaac. The name Isaac itself is derived from the Hebrew name Yitzchak, which means "he will laugh" or "he laughs."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Isakson can be found in the medieval Swedish census records from the 15th century, where it appears as "Isachsson." This suggests that the name had already been established and in use for some time before then.
Isakson is also believed to have been a common surname among Swedish and Norwegian immigrants who settled in the United States and other parts of the world during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Some notable individuals with the surname Isakson include:
1. Johan Isakson (1844-1912), a Swedish-American businessman and founder of the Isakson Grocery Company in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
2. Gustave Isakson (1868-1936), a Swedish-American architect known for his work in the Prairie School style.
3. Arvid Isakson (1885-1964), a Swedish-American painter and illustrator.
4. Folke Isakson (1899-1973), a Swedish lawyer and politician who served as the Minister of Justice from 1951 to 1957.
5. Johnny Isakson (born 1944), an American politician who served as a United States Senator from Georgia from 2005 to 2019.
While the name has its roots in Scandinavia, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly through migration and intermarriage. However, its origins can be traced back to the Scandinavian countries of Sweden and Norway, where it emerged as a patronymic surname derived from the given name Isak or Isaac.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Isakson
Among Census respondents with the surname Isakson, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Isakson 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 Isakson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.6% · 1,211
- Hispanic or Latino4.9% · 66
- Two or more races3.9% · 53
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 6
- Black or African American0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Isakson
Isakson 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
#19,731
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,365
+77 bearers (+6.0%)
Per 100,000 0.46
Rank movement Down 303 places
2020
#19,937
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,351
-14 bearers (-1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.45
Rank movement Down 206 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #19,428 | 1,288 | 0.48 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #19,731 | 1,365 | 0.46 | +77 bearers (+6.0%) | Down 303 places |
| 2020 | #19,937 | 1,351 | 0.45 | -14 bearers (-1.0%) | Down 206 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 Isakson 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 | #19,731 | #19,937 | -1.0% |
| Count | 1,365 | 1,351 | -1.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.46 | 0.45 | -1.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Isakson bearers went from 1,365 to 1,351 (-1.0% change). The surname moved down 206 positions in the national ranking, going from #19,731 to #19,937.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Isakson
FAQ
Isakson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Isakson?
Name Census estimates that about 1,549 living Americans carry the surname Isakson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 221,275 residents.
How common is Isakson?
Isakson ranks #19,937 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.45 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 1,351 people with the surname Isakson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,549), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.45 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.45 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 Isakson.
Has Isakson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Isakson went from 1,365 recorded bearers to 1,351. That is a decrease of 14 (-1.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #19,731 to #19,937.
What does the Census say about the background of Isakson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Isakson, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Isakson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.6% (1,211 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Isakson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.6%), Hispanic (4.9%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Isakson (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 Isakson mean?
A surname of Scandinavian origin meaning "son of Isak" or "Isaac's son". 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 Isakson (0.45 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 share the surname Isakson?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.