2000
#130,443
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Lyngstad
A Norwegian surname derived from a place name referring to an area with lingonberries.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Lyngstad. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lyngstad 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Lyngstad in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lyngstad, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lyngstad
The surname Lyngstad originates from Norway and dates back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old Norse words "lyng" meaning "heather" and "stadr" meaning "place" or "homestead." This suggests that the name originally referred to someone who lived in an area abundant with heather.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lyngstad can be found in the Diplomatorium Norvegicum, a collection of medieval Norwegian diplomas and manuscripts. In this collection, a person named Thorstein Lyngstad is mentioned in a document from the year 1353, indicating that the name was in use during that time period.
The name Lyngstad is also linked to several place names in Norway, such as Lyngstad in Vestfold county and Lyngstad in Trøndelag county. These place names likely predate the surname and may have contributed to its formation.
In the 16th century, a man named Peder Lyngstad (1520-1587) was a prominent Norwegian farmer and landowner in the Trondheim region. He was known for his involvement in local politics and his advocacy for peasant rights.
Another notable person with the surname Lyngstad was Hans Lyngstad (1781-1866), a Norwegian military officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and later became a respected landowner and politician in his home region of Østfold.
During the 19th century, the Lyngstad name gained prominence through the work of Elias Lyngstad (1823-1901), a Norwegian poet and playwright who wrote in the Nynorsk language. His works were influential in promoting Norwegian culture and literature.
In the 20th century, one of the most famous individuals with the surname Lyngstad was Anne-Frid Lyngstad (1945-2008), a Norwegian singer who rose to international fame as a member of the Swedish pop group ABBA. Her distinctive vocals and stage presence contributed significantly to the band's success.
Another notable figure was Nils Lyngstad (1907-1992), a Norwegian engineer and inventor who held several patents related to the production of aluminum and was instrumental in the development of Norway's aluminum industry.
These examples illustrate the long history and diverse backgrounds of individuals who have carried the surname Lyngstad throughout the centuries, with roots firmly grounded in Norwegian culture and geography.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lyngstad
Among Census respondents with the surname Lyngstad, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Lyngstad 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 Lyngstad surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.4% · 103
- Two or more races4.4% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 4
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lyngstad
Lyngstad 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-7 bearers (-5.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,758 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 294 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #130,443 | 120 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-5.8%) | Down 15,758 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 294 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 Lyngstad 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 | #146,201 | #146,495 | -0.2% |
| Count | 113 | 114 | 0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lyngstad bearers went from 113 to 114 (+0.9% change). The surname moved down 294 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #146,495.
FAQ
Lyngstad surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lyngstad?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Lyngstad. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Lyngstad?
Lyngstad ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Lyngstad. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Lyngstad.
Has Lyngstad become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lyngstad went from 113 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 1 (+0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Lyngstad?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lyngstad, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Lyngstad in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.4% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lyngstad appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.4%), Two or More Races (4.4%), Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Lyngstad (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 Lyngstad mean?
A Norwegian surname derived from a place name referring to an area with lingonberries. 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 Lyngstad (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 Lyngstad?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.