2000
#9,680
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,079
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.14
Rare Last name
Nilsson
A patronymic surname of Swedish origin meaning "son of Nils."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,728 Americans carry the last name Nilsson. That puts it at #9,562 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 91,941 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nilsson 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Nilsson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.7K
1 in 91,941
Census rank
#9,562
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,251 bearers of the surname Nilsson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9562nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nilsson, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nilsson
The surname Nilsson originated in Sweden during the medieval period. It is a patronymic name, meaning "son of Nils". Nils is a common Swedish name derived from the Old Norse name Nīkolāss, which was ultimately borrowed from the Greek name Nikolaos, meaning "victory of the people".
Nilsson is one of the most widespread surnames in Sweden, particularly in the southern regions of Skåne, Halland, and Blekinge. This reflects the popularity of the given name Nils in these areas during the Middle Ages when patronymic surnames became more widespread.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Nilsson surname can be found in the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, a collection of medieval Norwegian diplomatic documents. The name appears in a charter dated 1389, referring to a man named Niels Nielsson from Skåne.
In the 16th century, the Swedish church began keeping more systematic records of births, marriages, and deaths. These records provide numerous examples of individuals with the Nilsson surname, such as Ingeborg Nilsdotter (born around 1550) from Småland.
During the 17th century, several notable individuals with the Nilsson surname emerged. One was Johan Nilsson Gerdner (1607-1679), a Swedish military officer and governor of Ingria (now part of Russia). Another was Nils Nilsson Vissingsbo (1617-1688), a Swedish clergyman and author.
In the 18th century, a prominent Nilsson was Anders Nilsson Sundblad (1739-1793), a Swedish mathematician and astronomer. He made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics and was a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
The 19th century saw the rise of several notable Nilssons in various fields. These included Carl Gustaf Nilsson (1811-1892), a Swedish landscape painter; Christina Nilsson (1843-1921), a renowned Swedish operatic soprano; and August Nilsson (1839-1912), a Swedish playwright and novelist.
In the 20th century, some well-known individuals with the Nilsson surname included Birgit Nilsson (1918-2005), a celebrated Swedish operatic soprano; Lennart Nilsson (1922-2017), a Swedish photographer and researcher known for his pioneering images of human embryos; and Harry Nilsson (1941-1994), an American singer-songwriter known for hits such as "Without You" and "Coconut".
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nilsson
Among Census respondents with the surname Nilsson, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Nilsson 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 Nilsson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 2,948
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 146
- Two or more races2.9% · 95
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 45
- Black or African American0.3% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nilsson
Nilsson 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
#10,001
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,223
+144 bearers (+4.7%)
Per 100,000 1.09
Rank movement Down 321 places
2020
#9,562
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,251
+28 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 1.09
Rank movement Up 439 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,680 | 3,079 | 1.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,001 | 3,223 | 1.09 | +144 bearers (+4.7%) | Down 321 places |
| 2020 | #9,562 | 3,251 | 1.09 | +28 bearers (+0.9%) | Up 439 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 Nilsson 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 | #10,001 | #9,562 | 4.4% |
| Count | 3,223 | 3,251 | 0.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.09 | 1.09 | -0.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nilsson bearers went from 3,223 to 3,251 (+0.9% change). The surname moved up 439 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,001 to #9,562.
FAQ
Nilsson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nilsson?
Name Census estimates that about 3,728 living Americans carry the surname Nilsson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 91,941 residents.
How common is Nilsson?
Nilsson ranks #9,562 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.09 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,251 people with the surname Nilsson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,728), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.09 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Nilsson.
Has Nilsson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nilsson went from 3,223 recorded bearers to 3,251. That is an increase of 28 (+0.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,001 to #9,562.
What does the Census say about the background of Nilsson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nilsson, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Nilsson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (2,948 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nilsson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Hispanic (4.5%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Nilsson (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 Nilsson mean?
A patronymic surname of Swedish origin meaning "son of Nils." 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 Nilsson (1.09 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 Nilsson?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.