2000
#146,011
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kulstad
A surname of Scandinavian origin potentially relating to a hill or mound.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 114 Americans carry the last name Kulstad. That puts it at #156,005 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,006,617 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kulstad 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
114
1 in 3,006,617
Census rank
#156,005
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
99
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 99 bearers of the surname Kulstad in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156005th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kulstad, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kulstad
The surname Kulstad originated in Norway in the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. It is derived from the Old Norse words "kull" meaning "hill" or "mound" and "stadr" meaning "place" or "farm". This suggests that the name likely referred to a specific place or settlement located on a hill or mound.
One of the earliest known recorded instances of the name Kulstad can be found in the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, a collection of medieval Norwegian documents dating back to the 12th century. In this collection, a person named Thorstein Kulstad is mentioned in a document from the year 1349, relating to land ownership in the region of Vestfold.
Kulstad is also believed to be related to the place name "Kulstad" which can be found in various parts of Norway, such as the municipality of Indre Fosen in Trøndelag county. This place name likely originated from the same Old Norse roots as the surname, indicating a connection between the name and certain geographical locations.
Notable individuals bearing the surname Kulstad throughout history include:
1. Olav Kulstad (1829-1902), a Norwegian farmer and politician who served as a member of the Norwegian Parliament (Storting) from 1889 to 1891.
2. Ingrid Kulstad (1899-1985), a Norwegian poet and author, known for her collections of poetry and children's books.
3. Bjarne Kulstad (1924-2007), a Norwegian economist and academic, who served as the rector of the University of Bergen from 1979 to 1985.
4. Asbjørn Kulstad (born 1959), a Norwegian jazz musician and saxophonist, known for his collaborations with various jazz ensembles and artists.
5. Inger Kulstad (born 1942), a Norwegian artist and sculptor, whose works have been exhibited in various galleries and museums across Norway and internationally.
While the name Kulstad has its roots in Norway, over time it has spread to other parts of the world through migration and cultural exchange. However, its origins can be traced back to the medieval period in Norway, where it was closely associated with specific geographical locations and settlements.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kulstad
Among Census respondents with the surname Kulstad, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Kulstad 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 Kulstad surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.9% · 94
- Two or more races5.1% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kulstad
Kulstad 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
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,033 places
2020
#156,005
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 99
-5 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 39 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #146,011 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 10,033 places |
| 2020 | #156,005 | 99 | 0.03 | -5 bearers (-4.8%) | Up 39 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 Kulstad 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 | #156,044 | #156,005 | 0.0% |
| Count | 104 | 99 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -17.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kulstad bearers went from 104 to 99 (-4.8% change). The surname moved up 39 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #156,005.
FAQ
Kulstad surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kulstad?
Name Census estimates that about 114 living Americans carry the surname Kulstad. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,006,617 residents.
How common is Kulstad?
Kulstad ranks #156,005 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 99 people with the surname Kulstad. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (114), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Kulstad.
Has Kulstad become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kulstad went from 104 recorded bearers to 99. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #156,005.
What does the Census say about the background of Kulstad?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kulstad, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Kulstad in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.9% (94 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kulstad appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.9%), Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Kulstad (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 Kulstad mean?
A surname of Scandinavian origin potentially relating to a hill or mound. 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 Kulstad (0.03 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 Americans have the surname Kulstad?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.