2000
#5,784
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,477
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.03
Rare Last name
Nordstrom
A Swedish toponymic surname derived from the words "nord" meaning "north" and "ström" meaning "stream" or "current."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,238 Americans carry the last name Nordstrom. That puts it at #6,063 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.82 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 54,946 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nordstrom 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
6.2K
1 in 54,946
Census rank
#6,063
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,440 bearers of the surname Nordstrom in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.82 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6063rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nordstrom, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nordstrom
Among Census respondents with the surname Nordstrom, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Nordstrom 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 Nordstrom surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 5,029
- Two or more races3.6% · 194
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 135
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 42
- Black or African American0.4% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nordstrom
Nordstrom 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
#6,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,498
+21 bearers (+0.4%)
Per 100,000 1.86
Rank movement Down 436 places
2020
#6,063
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,440
-58 bearers (-1.1%)
Per 100,000 1.82
Rank movement Up 157 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,784 | 5,477 | 2.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,220 | 5,498 | 1.86 | +21 bearers (+0.4%) | Down 436 places |
| 2020 | #6,063 | 5,440 | 1.82 | -58 bearers (-1.1%) | Up 157 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 Nordstrom 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 | #6,220 | #6,063 | 2.5% |
| Count | 5,498 | 5,440 | -1.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.86 | 1.82 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nordstrom bearers went from 5,498 to 5,440 (-1.1% change). The surname moved up 157 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,220 to #6,063.
FAQ
Nordstrom surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nordstrom?
Name Census estimates that about 6,238 living Americans carry the surname Nordstrom. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 54,946 residents.
How common is Nordstrom?
Nordstrom ranks #6,063 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.82 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,440 people with the surname Nordstrom. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,238), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.82 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.82 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Nordstrom.
Has Nordstrom become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nordstrom went from 5,498 recorded bearers to 5,440. That is a decrease of 58 (-1.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,220 to #6,063.
What does the Census say about the background of Nordstrom?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nordstrom, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Nordstrom in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (5,029 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nordstrom appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Nordstrom (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 Nordstrom mean?
A Swedish toponymic surname derived from the words "nord" meaning "north" and "ström" meaning "stream" or "current." 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 Nordstrom (1.82 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 share the surname Nordstrom?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.