Find out how popular the last name Nordstrom is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Nordstrom.

Nordstrom, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Nordstrom surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Nordstrom in America

Nordstrom is the 6220th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Nordstrom surname appeared 5,498 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Nordstrom.

We can also compare 2010 data for Nordstrom to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Nordstrom

The surname Nordstrom originated in Sweden, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 16th century. It is a locational surname, derived from the combination of the Swedish words "nord" meaning "north" and "ström" meaning "stream." This suggests that the name likely referred to someone who lived near a northern stream or river.

In the early 1600s, variations of the name such as Norström, Nordström, and Nordstroem were found in Swedish parish records and census documents. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname was Hans Norström, born in 1587 in Jönköping County, Sweden.

The name Nordstrom appears to have been particularly prevalent in the regions of Småland and Västergötland in southern Sweden. It is believed that the name may have originated in these areas, where it was associated with specific villages or farmsteads near northern-flowing waterways.

In the late 18th century, a notable figure with the name Nordstrom was Johan Nordström, a Swedish theologian and writer born in 1763 in Småland. He authored several religious texts and served as a minister in various parishes throughout his life.

As Swedish emigration to North America increased in the 19th century, the Nordstrom surname was carried across the Atlantic by families seeking new opportunities. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in the United States was Carl Nordstrom, who arrived in New York in 1851 from Värmland, Sweden.

Another significant figure in the history of the Nordstrom name was John W. Nordstrom, born in 1871 in Sweden. He immigrated to the United States in the late 19th century and became a successful businessman, establishing the iconic Nordstrom department store chain in Seattle, Washington, in 1901.

Throughout the centuries, other notable individuals with the Nordstrom surname have included Gustav Nordstrom, a Swedish artist and painter born in 1892, and Erik Nordstrom, a Swedish playwright and novelist born in 1902, both of whom contributed significantly to their respective artistic fields.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Nordstrom

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Nordstrom.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Nordstrom was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Nordstrom has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Nordstrom was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Nordstrom, please contact us.

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