2000
#39,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 527
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.20
Very Rare Last name
Molander
Derived from Swedish for "miller", an occupational surname for one who operated a grain mill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 591 Americans carry the last name Molander. That puts it at #44,823 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 579,957 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Molander 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
591
1 in 579,957
Census rank
#44,823
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
515
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 515 bearers of the surname Molander in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 44823rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Molander, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Molander
The surname Molander is believed to have originated in Sweden, where it first appeared in historical records around the 16th century. It is derived from the Swedish words "mol" and "ander," which translate to "mill" and "duck," respectively. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a mill frequented by ducks or waterfowl.
One of the earliest documented instances of the name Molander can be found in the parish records of Stora Tuna, a town in the Swedish province of Dalarna, where a man named Olof Molander was listed in 1563. The name also appears in various Swedish church records from the 17th and 18th centuries, with spellings such as "Mohlander" and "Moolander."
In the late 18th century, a notable figure named Carl Molander (1756-1836) was a prominent Swedish architect and city planner. He was responsible for designing several notable buildings in Stockholm, including the Kungliga Dramatiska Teatern (Royal Dramatic Theatre).
Another notable bearer of the Molander surname was the Swedish actor and director Gustaf Molander (1888-1973). He was a prominent figure in the early days of Swedish cinema and directed several critically acclaimed films, including Intermezzo (1936) and Raskens (1947).
In the literary world, the Swedish author and playwright Bengt Molander (1937-2013) gained recognition for his works, including the novel "Kring Hökar och Hundar" (1983) and the play "Historien om en häst" (1987).
The name Molander can also be traced to place names in Sweden, such as the village of Molanders in the municipality of Vara, located in the province of Västergötland. The name likely originated from a mill or other water-powered facility near this location.
Throughout history, the surname Molander has been associated with various professions, including millers, farmers, and artisans, reflecting the name's connection to mills and rural areas in Sweden.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Molander
Among Census respondents with the surname Molander, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Molander 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 Molander surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 471
- Two or more races3.5% · 18
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 9
- Black or African American1.0% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Molander
Molander 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
#43,006
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 503
-24 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 0.17
Rank movement Down 3,702 places
2020
#44,823
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 515
+12 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.17
Rank movement Down 1,817 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #39,304 | 527 | 0.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #43,006 | 503 | 0.17 | -24 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 3,702 places |
| 2020 | #44,823 | 515 | 0.17 | +12 bearers (+2.4%) | Down 1,817 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 Molander 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 | #43,006 | #44,823 | -4.2% |
| Count | 503 | 515 | 2.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.17 | 0.17 | 1.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Molander bearers went from 503 to 515 (+2.4% change). The surname moved down 1,817 positions in the national ranking, going from #43,006 to #44,823.
FAQ
Molander surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Molander?
Name Census estimates that about 591 living Americans carry the surname Molander. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 579,957 residents.
How common is Molander?
Molander ranks #44,823 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.17 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 515 people with the surname Molander. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (591), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.17 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 Molander.
Has Molander become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Molander went from 503 recorded bearers to 515. That is an increase of 12 (+2.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #43,006 to #44,823.
What does the Census say about the background of Molander?
Among Census respondents with the surname Molander, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Molander in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (471 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Molander appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Molander (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 Molander mean?
Derived from Swedish for "miller", an occupational surname for one who operated a grain mill. 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 Molander (0.17 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 Molander?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.