Find out how popular the last name Karlsson is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Karlsson.

Karlsson, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Karlsson surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Karlsson in America

Karlsson is the 27110th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Karlsson surname appeared 893 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Karlsson.

We can also compare 2010 data for Karlsson to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Karlsson

The surname Karlsson is of Swedish origin, deriving from the Old Norse personal name Karli or Karl, meaning "free man" or "peasant farmer." It gained prominence in the 10th century, with the widespread adoption of hereditary surnames in Scandinavia.

The name is rooted in the Old Norse word "karl," which initially referred to a commoner or a freeman, as opposed to a nobleman or a slave. Over time, it evolved into a common personal name, and eventually, a patronymic surname was formed by adding the Swedish suffix "-son," meaning "son of."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Karlsson dates back to the 13th century, when a man named Erengisle Karlsson was mentioned in the Swedish provincial laws of Östergötland. This legal document, known as the Östgötalagen, provides valuable insights into the social and legal structures of medieval Sweden.

During the Middle Ages, the name Karlsson appeared in various Swedish historical records and documents, such as the Diplomatarium Suecanum, a collection of medieval Swedish charters and letters. Notable individuals bearing the name include Erik Karlsson, a 14th-century Swedish clergyman who served as the Bishop of Åbo (modern-day Turku, Finland) from 1346 to 1359.

In the 16th century, Gustav Karlsson Vasa (1496-1560) became one of the most famous Swedes with the surname Karlsson. He was a nobleman who led the rebellion against Danish rule, eventually becoming the King of Sweden and establishing the Vasa dynasty that ruled the country until 1654.

Another notable figure was Lars Karlsson Gyllenhielm (1617-1675), a Swedish military officer and statesman who served as the Lord High Constable of Sweden and played a significant role in the Scanian War against Denmark.

In the 19th century, Erik Karlsson (1836-1917) was a Swedish botanist and plant collector who made significant contributions to the study of the flora of South America, particularly in Bolivia and Argentina.

Towards the end of the 19th century, Gustaf Karlsson (1876-1933) was a Swedish inventor and engineer who developed the world's first surface-to-surface guided missile, known as the Karlsson Flyer, which was successfully tested in 1932.

It is important to note that the surname Karlsson has also been widely adopted in other Scandinavian countries, such as Norway and Denmark, where it is spelled as Carlson or Karlsen, respectively.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Karlsson

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Karlsson.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Karlsson was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Karlsson has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Karlsson was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Karlsson, please contact us.

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