2000
#146,011
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Omvig
A Norwegian surname meaning a curvy or winding path.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 112 Americans carry the last name Omvig. That puts it at #156,269 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,060,307 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Omvig 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
112
1 in 3,060,307
Census rank
#156,269
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
98
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 98 bearers of the surname Omvig in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156269th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Omvig, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Omvig
The surname OMVIG has its origins in Sweden, where it first emerged in the 16th century. It is derived from the Old Norse words "omvig" and "vig," which refer to a sheltered bay or inlet along the coast. This suggests that the name likely originated among individuals who lived near such a geographic feature.
Records from the 17th century indicate that the OMVIG surname was particularly prevalent in the coastal regions of southern Sweden, including the provinces of Skåne and Blekinge. It is possible that the name has roots in one or more specific place names containing the elements "omvig" or "vig," although no definitive records have been found to confirm this.
One of the earliest documented instances of the OMVIG surname is found in a 1642 parish register from the town of Sölvesborg, where a man named Johan Omvig is listed. Another early record dates back to 1687, when a woman named Anna Omvig was born in the village of Rörum, located in what is now the municipality of Bromölla.
Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, several notable individuals bearing the OMVIG surname emerged. In 1712, a merchant named Nils Omvig established a successful trading company in the city of Malmö. His grandson, Johan Omvig (1789-1856), later became a prominent local politician and served as the mayor of Malmö from 1835 to 1848.
Another individual of note was Erik Omvig (1818-1892), a renowned shipbuilder from the island of Ven, located in the Öresund strait between Sweden and Denmark. Omvig's shipyard was responsible for constructing numerous vessels, including several that were used in the Baltic Sea trade routes.
In the early 20th century, a woman named Ingrid Omvig (1901-1978) gained recognition as a pioneering educator and advocate for women's rights. Born in the town of Kristianstad, she worked tirelessly to promote equal educational opportunities for girls and women throughout her career as a teacher and school administrator.
One of the more recent individuals of note with the OMVIG surname was Lars Omvig (1925-2008), a celebrated author and poet from the city of Helsingborg. His works, which often explored themes of nature and the human condition, earned him numerous literary awards and accolades during his lifetime.
While the OMVIG surname is relatively uncommon today, it remains a part of Sweden's rich cultural heritage, with its roots firmly planted in the country's coastal regions and maritime traditions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Omvig
Among Census respondents with the surname Omvig, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Omvig 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 Omvig surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.0% · 96
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Omvig
Omvig 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
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
+3 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,617 places
2020
#156,269
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 98
-9 bearers (-8.4%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 3,641 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #146,011 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 6,617 places |
| 2020 | #156,269 | 98 | 0.03 | -9 bearers (-8.4%) | Down 3,641 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 Omvig 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 | #152,628 | #156,269 | -2.4% |
| Count | 107 | 98 | -8.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -18.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Omvig bearers went from 107 to 98 (-8.4% change). The surname moved down 3,641 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #156,269.
FAQ
Omvig surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Omvig?
Name Census estimates that about 112 living Americans carry the surname Omvig. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,060,307 residents.
How common is Omvig?
Omvig ranks #156,269 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 98 people with the surname Omvig. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (112), 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 Omvig.
Has Omvig become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Omvig went from 107 recorded bearers to 98. That is a decrease of 9 (-8.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #152,628 to #156,269.
What does the Census say about the background of Omvig?
Among Census respondents with the surname Omvig, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%) and Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Omvig in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.0% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Omvig appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%), Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Omvig (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 Omvig mean?
A Norwegian surname meaning a curvy or winding path. 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 Omvig (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 Americans have the surname Omvig?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.