2000
#13,386
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,087
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.77
Rare Last name
Nordquist
A Swedish toponymic surname derived from words meaning "north" and "twig," likely referring to a branch of a family.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,348 Americans carry the last name Nordquist. That puts it at #14,076 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 145,977 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nordquist 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
2.3K
1 in 145,977
Census rank
#14,076
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,048 bearers of the surname Nordquist in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14076th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nordquist, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nordquist
The surname Nordquist originated in Sweden in the 16th century. It is derived from the Old Norse words "norðr" meaning "north" and "kvistr" meaning "branch" or "twig", referring to someone who lived in a northern area or in a northern branch of a settlement.
In Sweden, the name was first recorded in parish records and census rolls from the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Some of the earliest known bearers of the name were farmers and landowners in the provinces of Västergötland and Småland.
The Nordquist name appears in various historical documents, including tax records, land deeds, and military rolls from the 17th and 18th centuries. One notable example is Johan Nordquist, a Swedish artillery officer who served in the Great Northern War under King Charles XII in the early 1700s.
During the 19th century, the Nordquist name became more widespread in Sweden as people started migrating to cities and urban areas. Several prominent individuals bore this surname, including Carl Gustaf Nordquist (1810-1887), a Swedish theologian and bishop, and Henrik Nordquist (1857-1924), a renowned architect who designed several notable buildings in Stockholm.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many Swedes bearing the Nordquist name immigrated to the United States and other parts of the world, seeking economic opportunities and a better life. One notable American with this surname was Sten Nordquist (1893-1972), a Swedish-American artist and illustrator known for his work in children's books and magazine illustrations.
Another notable bearer of the Nordquist name was Gunnar Nordquist (1912-1995), a Swedish diplomat and ambassador who served in various countries, including the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War era.
The Nordquist surname has undergone slight variations in spelling over time, with alternate forms such as Nordqvist and Norqvist appearing in historical records. However, the core meaning and origin of the name have remained consistent, reflecting its deep roots in Scandinavian history and culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nordquist
Among Census respondents with the surname Nordquist, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Nordquist 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 Nordquist surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.1% · 1,866
- Two or more races3.9% · 79
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 61
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 21
- Black or African American0.8% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nordquist
Nordquist 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
#13,903
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,172
+85 bearers (+4.1%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Down 517 places
2020
#14,076
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,048
-124 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Down 173 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,386 | 2,087 | 0.77 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,903 | 2,172 | 0.74 | +85 bearers (+4.1%) | Down 517 places |
| 2020 | #14,076 | 2,048 | 0.69 | -124 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 173 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 Nordquist 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 | #13,903 | #14,076 | -1.2% |
| Count | 2,172 | 2,048 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.74 | 0.69 | -7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nordquist bearers went from 2,172 to 2,048 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 173 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,903 to #14,076.
FAQ
Nordquist surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nordquist?
Name Census estimates that about 2,348 living Americans carry the surname Nordquist. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 145,977 residents.
How common is Nordquist?
Nordquist ranks #14,076 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.69 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 2,048 people with the surname Nordquist. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,348), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.69 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 Nordquist.
Has Nordquist become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nordquist went from 2,172 recorded bearers to 2,048. That is a decrease of 124 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,903 to #14,076.
What does the Census say about the background of Nordquist?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nordquist, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Nordquist in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (1,866 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nordquist appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.1%), Two or More Races (3.9%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Nordquist (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 Nordquist mean?
A Swedish toponymic surname derived from words meaning "north" and "twig," likely referring to a branch of a family. 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 Nordquist (0.69 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 last name Nordquist?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Nordquist on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.