2000
#126,400
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Kullgren
Swedish surname meaning "hill green" or "mound green".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Kullgren. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kullgren 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Kullgren in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kullgren, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kullgren
The surname Kullgren has its origins in Sweden, dating back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Swedish words "kull" meaning "hill" or "knoll," and "gren" meaning "branch" or "twig." The name likely originated as a descriptive term referring to a person who lived near a hill or a branch of a tree.
One of the earliest known references to the name Kullgren can be found in the Swedish church records from the late 16th century. The name appears to have been particularly prevalent in the regions of Västergötland and Östergötland, both located in southern Sweden.
Historical records show that in the late 17th century, a man named Johan Kullgren (1652-1720) was a prominent merchant and landowner in the city of Gothenburg, Sweden. His descendants continued to use the Kullgren surname, and some of them achieved notable status in various fields.
In the 19th century, Carl Kullgren (1818-1897) was a renowned Swedish painter and art critic, known for his landscapes and portraits. He studied at the Royal Swedish Academy of Arts and his works can be found in several museums across Sweden.
Another notable individual with the surname was August Kullgren (1859-1923), a Swedish engineer and entrepreneur. He founded the engineering company Kullgrens Enka, which became one of the leading manufacturers of industrial machinery in Sweden during the early 20th century.
The Kullgren surname has also been associated with academia. Nils Kullgren (1896-1976) was a Swedish linguist and professor at Uppsala University, where he specialized in Germanic languages and Scandinavian philology.
In more recent times, Karin Kullgren (1930-2017) was a Swedish author and journalist who wrote several novels and short stories, focusing on themes of love, relationships, and social issues.
While the Kullgren surname originated in Sweden, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and intermarriage. However, its roots can be traced back to the Swedish countryside, where it was likely derived from the physical landscape and geographical features of the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kullgren
Among Census respondents with the surname Kullgren, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Kullgren 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 Kullgren surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.1% · 105
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kullgren
Kullgren 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
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-13 bearers (-10.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 20,853 places
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-6 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,086 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #126,400 | 125 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | -13 bearers (-10.4%) | Down 20,853 places |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 5,086 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 Kullgren 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 | #147,253 | #152,339 | -3.5% |
| Count | 112 | 106 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kullgren bearers went from 112 to 106 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 5,086 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #152,339.
FAQ
Kullgren surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kullgren?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Kullgren. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Kullgren?
Kullgren ranks #152,339 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 106 people with the surname Kullgren. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), 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 Kullgren.
Has Kullgren become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kullgren went from 112 recorded bearers to 106. That is a decrease of 6 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #147,253 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Kullgren?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kullgren, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Kullgren in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.1% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kullgren appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.1%), Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Kullgren (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 Kullgren mean?
Swedish surname meaning "hill green" or "mound green". 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 Kullgren (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 share the surname Kullgren?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.