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

Kjerstad, 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 Kjerstad surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kjerstad in America

Kjerstad is the 125282nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kjerstad surname appeared 137 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 Kjerstad.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kjerstad 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 Kjerstad

The surname Kjerstad originates from Norway, specifically in the region of Vestlandet. It is believed to have emerged in the 16th century or earlier. The name is derived from the Old Norse words "kjørr" meaning "marsh" and "stadr" meaning "place" or "farm," indicating that the name likely referred to a farmstead or settlement located near a marshy area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kjerstad can be found in the census records of the Sunnhordland region in Norway from the late 16th century. These records mention several families with the surname Kjerstad residing in the rural areas around the town of Stord.

In the 17th century, the Kjerstad name appeared in various land ownership records and church registers in the Hardanger region of Vestlandet. Some notable individuals from this era include Nils Kjerstad (1622-1698), a farmer and local landowner in the village of Eidfjord, and Ingrid Kjerstad (1647-1721), whose marriage to Ola Bjørnson in 1671 is recorded in the parish records of Ullensvang.

As the centuries progressed, the Kjerstad name spread to other parts of Norway, although it remained most concentrated in the western regions. In the 19th century, a notable figure was Arne Kjerstad (1821-1887), a farmer and local politician from the village of Voss, who served on the municipal council for several years.

The early 20th century saw the emigration of many Norwegians to North America, including several individuals with the Kjerstad surname. One such person was Olav Kjerstad (1892-1972), who left Norway in 1912 and settled in Minnesota, where he worked as a carpenter and raised a family.

Another prominent individual was Sigrid Kjerstad (1905-1998), a writer and journalist from Bergen who published several books and articles on Norwegian culture and history during her lifetime.

While the Kjerstad name has remained relatively uncommon outside of Norway, it has continued to be carried on by descendants of these early families, both in Norway and in Norwegian communities abroad.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kjerstad

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

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 Kjerstad 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 Kjerstad 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 Kjerstad was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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