2010
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Lanquist
A surname of Swedish origin meaning "long" or "tall".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Lanquist. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lanquist 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Lanquist in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lanquist, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lanquist
The surname Lanquist is believed to have originated in Sweden during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old Norse words "langr" meaning long and "kvist" meaning branch or twig, likely referring to a person who lived near a long, winding road or a location with a distinctive long tree branch.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lanquist can be found in the Icelandic Landnámabók, a medieval manuscript detailing the settlement of Iceland. The name appears as "Långkvistr" in reference to a Norwegian settler who arrived in the late 9th century.
In Sweden, the name Lanquist first appears in parish records from the 16th century, with variations such as "Långqvist" and "Langqvist" being common spellings at the time. These variations likely stem from the name's evolution from its Old Norse roots.
Notable individuals with the surname Lanquist include Johan Lanquist (1638-1701), a Swedish merchant and shipowner who played a significant role in the development of Sweden's maritime trade in the 17th century. Another prominent figure was Anna Lanquist (1790-1859), a Swedish author and poet known for her contributions to the Romantic literary movement.
In the 19th century, the name Lanquist gained recognition through the work of Erik Lanquist (1822-1892), a Swedish theologian and professor who published several influential works on biblical exegesis. His son, Gustav Lanquist (1860-1932), followed in his footsteps and became a renowned biblical scholar and linguist.
Another notable individual was Karl Lanquist (1875-1945), a Swedish engineer who made significant contributions to the development of early radio technology and telecommunications systems. His innovations played a crucial role in the advancement of wireless communication in the early 20th century.
While the surname Lanquist is relatively uncommon globally, it remains a part of Sweden's cultural heritage, tracing its roots back to the country's Viking age and reflecting the rich linguistic and historical traditions of the Scandinavian region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lanquist
Among Census respondents with the surname Lanquist, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Lanquist 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 Lanquist surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.5% · 95
- Two or more races4.8% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.8% · 4
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lanquist
Lanquist appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
+5 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,986 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+5.0%) | Up 7,986 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 Lanquist 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 | #160,975 | #152,989 | 5.0% |
| Count | 100 | 105 | 5.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 17.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lanquist bearers went from 100 to 105 (+5.0% change). The surname moved up 7,986 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #152,989.
FAQ
Lanquist surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lanquist?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Lanquist. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Lanquist?
Lanquist ranks #152,989 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 105 people with the surname Lanquist. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), 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 Lanquist.
Has Lanquist become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lanquist went from 100 recorded bearers to 105. That is an increase of 5 (+5.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Lanquist?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lanquist, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.8%). 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 Lanquist in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.5% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lanquist appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.5%), Two or More Races (4.8%), American Indian/Alaska Native (3.8%). 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 Lanquist (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 Lanquist mean?
A surname of Swedish origin meaning "long" or "tall". 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 Lanquist (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 common is the surname Lanquist?
Find out how many people are called Lanquist on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.