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

Kvam, 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 Kvam surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kvam in America

Kvam is the 47272nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kvam surname appeared 449 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 Kvam.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kvam 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 Kvam

The surname KVAM is of Norwegian origin, with its roots tracing back to the early Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated as a toponymic name, derived from the Old Norse word "kvam," which referred to a small valley or a bend in a river.

In Norway, the name KVAM was particularly prevalent in the western regions, such as Hordaland and Sogn og Fjordane, where many small valleys and river bends were found. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in medieval Norwegian records and land registers, often associated with specific locations bearing the name "Kvam" or variations thereof.

One notable historical reference to the name KVAM can be found in the Icelandic sagas, which mention individuals with this surname hailing from Norway. For instance, the Saga of Erik the Red, written in the 13th century, mentions a character named Thorvald Kvam, who accompanied Erik the Red on his voyages to Greenland.

Among the earliest recorded instances of the name KVAM, we can cite Einar Kvam, a Norwegian farmer and landowner who lived in the late 13th century. His name is mentioned in several land records from the region of Hordaland, where he owned substantial property.

In the 16th century, the name KVAM gained prominence with the birth of Nils Kvam (c. 1530-1598), a influential Norwegian landowner and merchant. He played a significant role in the local politics and economy of his time, and his descendants continued to bear the surname KVAM for generations.

Another notable figure with the surname KVAM was Olav Kvam (1674-1742), a Norwegian priest and scholar who authored several works on theology and philosophy. His contributions to the intellectual discourse of his era were widely recognized and appreciated.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, the name KVAM spread beyond Norway as Norwegian emigrants settled in other parts of the world, particularly in North America. One such individual was Ingrid Kvam (1820-1896), a Norwegian-American pioneer who settled in Wisconsin, United States, and became a prominent figure in the local Norwegian-American community.

Throughout its history, the surname KVAM has been associated with various places and geographic features in Norway, such as Kvam municipality in Hordaland county and the village of Kvam in Gulen municipality, Sogn og Fjordane county. These place names likely contributed to the spread and preservation of the surname over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kvam

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

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

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

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