2000
#130,443
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Nordlof
Scandinavian surname derived from a village name or meaning "northern grove".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Nordlof. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nordlof 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Nordlof in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nordlof, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.2%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nordlof
The surname NORDLOF has its origins in Sweden, where it first emerged in the 16th century. It is believed to derive from the Old Norse words "nordr" meaning "north" and "lof" meaning "praise" or "glory", suggesting the name may have originally been given to someone who lived in a northern region or who exhibited praiseworthy qualities.
The earliest recorded instance of the NORDLOF surname appears in a Swedish church registry from 1578, where a man named Erik Nordlof is listed as a resident of the village of Östra Husby in Östergötland County. This region in southeastern Sweden was once part of the historic province of Östergötland, which may have influenced the formation of the name.
In the 17th century, the NORDLOF name can be found in various Swedish military records, indicating that some bearers of this surname served as soldiers or officers during this period. One notable example is Johan Nordlof, a lieutenant in the Swedish army who fought in the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648) and was killed in action in 1632.
By the 18th century, the NORDLOF surname had spread to other parts of Scandinavia, including Norway and Denmark. In 1782, a Danish merchant named Peter Nordlof established a successful trading company in Copenhagen, which operated for several decades and contributed to the city's economic prosperity.
As the 19th century dawned, the NORDLOF name began to appear in various literary works and artistic circles. Carl Nordlof (1805-1879), a Swedish poet and translator, was known for his renditions of works by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and other German writers. Another notable figure was Alma Nordlof (1858-1944), a Swedish painter who specialized in portraiture and landscape scenes.
One of the most prominent individuals with the NORDLOF surname was Gustav Nordlof (1876-1949), a Swedish philosopher and academic who served as a professor at Uppsala University. He made significant contributions to the fields of ethics and value theory, and his works were widely respected throughout Scandinavia and Europe.
While the NORDLOF surname remains relatively uncommon outside of Scandinavia, it has left an indelible mark on the cultural and intellectual history of the region. From military officers and merchants to poets, painters, and philosophers, those bearing this name have contributed to the rich tapestry of Swedish and Nordic heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nordlof
Among Census respondents with the surname Nordlof, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.2%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Nordlof 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 Nordlof surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.0% · 101
- Hispanic or Latino7.2% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nordlof
Nordlof 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
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-2 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,697 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-7 bearers (-5.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,525 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 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 10,697 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-5.9%) | Down 7,525 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 Nordlof 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 | #141,140 | #148,665 | -5.3% |
| Count | 118 | 111 | -5.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nordlof bearers went from 118 to 111 (-5.9% change). The surname moved down 7,525 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #148,665.
FAQ
Nordlof surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nordlof?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Nordlof. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Nordlof?
Nordlof ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Nordlof. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Nordlof.
Has Nordlof become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nordlof went from 118 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 7 (-5.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Nordlof?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nordlof, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.2%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%). 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 Nordlof in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nordlof appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.0%), Hispanic (7.2%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%). 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 Nordlof (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 Nordlof mean?
Scandinavian surname derived from a village name or meaning "northern grove". 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 Nordlof (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 have the surname Nordlof?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.