2000
#134,037
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Norstad
A surname of Scandinavian origin, possibly meaning "northern homestead" or "northern place."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 110 Americans carry the last name Norstad. That puts it at #156,540 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,115,949 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Norstad 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
110
1 in 3,115,949
Census rank
#156,540
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
96
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 96 bearers of the surname Norstad in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156540th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Norstad, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Norstad
The surname NORSTAD is of Norwegian origin, originating in the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old Norse words "norðr" meaning "north" and "staðr" meaning "place" or "homestead". The name likely referred to someone who lived in a northern location or hailed from a northern region.
The earliest known recorded instances of the surname NORSTAD can be traced back to the 13th century in Norway. In the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, a collection of medieval Norwegian documents, there are references to individuals with the name NORSTAD, such as Orm Norstad, who is mentioned in a document from 1265.
During the Middle Ages, the NORSTAD name was primarily concentrated in the western and central regions of Norway, particularly in areas around Bergen and Trondheim. Some historical records suggest that the NORSTAD family may have had ties to the Gulating, one of Norway's ancient regional assemblies.
In the 16th century, a branch of the NORSTAD family is believed to have migrated to Iceland, where they adopted the Icelandic spelling "Norðstaðr". One notable Icelander with this name was Jón Norðstaðr (1542-1623), a Lutheran pastor and scholar who translated several religious texts into Icelandic.
Another prominent figure with the NORSTAD surname was Hans Norstad (1620-1684), a Norwegian merchant and shipowner who played a significant role in the development of Norway's maritime trade in the 17th century.
In more recent times, one of the most well-known individuals with the NORSTAD surname was Lauris Norstad (1907-1988), an American military officer who served as the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) of NATO from 1956 to 1963. Despite his American nationality, his surname reflects his Norwegian ancestry.
Other notable individuals with the NORSTAD surname include:
1. Nils Norstad (1885-1962), a Norwegian politician and trade unionist.
2. Ole Norstad (1892-1974), a Norwegian-American businessman and philanthropist.
3. Kristian Norstad (1870-1940), a Norwegian-American journalist and newspaper editor.
4. Hans Norstad (1846-1923), a Norwegian painter and illustrator.
5. Inger Norstad (1892-1976), a Norwegian actress and theater director.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Norstad
Among Census respondents with the surname Norstad, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Norstad 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 Norstad surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.9% · 94
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Norstad
Norstad 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
#137,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
+6 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,290 places
2020
#156,540
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 96
-26 bearers (-21.3%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 19,213 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,037 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #137,327 | 122 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.2%) | Down 3,290 places |
| 2020 | #156,540 | 96 | 0.03 | -26 bearers (-21.3%) | Down 19,213 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 Norstad 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 | #137,327 | #156,540 | -14.0% |
| Count | 122 | 96 | -21.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -19.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Norstad bearers went from 122 to 96 (-21.3% change). The surname moved down 19,213 positions in the national ranking, going from #137,327 to #156,540.
FAQ
Norstad surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Norstad?
Name Census estimates that about 110 living Americans carry the surname Norstad. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,115,949 residents.
How common is Norstad?
Norstad ranks #156,540 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 96 people with the surname Norstad. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (110), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Norstad.
Has Norstad become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Norstad went from 122 recorded bearers to 96. That is a decrease of 26 (-21.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #137,327 to #156,540.
What does the Census say about the background of Norstad?
Among Census respondents with the surname Norstad, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Norstad in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.9% (94 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Norstad appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.9%), Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Norstad (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 Norstad mean?
A surname of Scandinavian origin, possibly meaning "northern homestead" or "northern place." 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 Norstad (0.03 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 are called Norstad?
See how many people have the surname Norstad on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.