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

Opland, 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 Opland surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Opland in America

Opland is the 56195th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Opland surname appeared 364 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Opland.

We can also compare 2010 data for Opland 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 Opland

The surname Opland is believed to have originated in Norway during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old Norse words "op" meaning "up" or "elevated" and "land" meaning "land" or "territory." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived in an elevated or upland area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Opland can be found in the Diplomatarum Norvegicum, a collection of Norwegian diplomatic documents from the 12th to the 16th centuries. In this collection, a person named Thorstein Opland is mentioned in a land transaction dated around 1350.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Opland appeared in various parish records and census documents in the regions of Oppland and Hedmark, located in central and eastern Norway. It is possible that the name originated in these areas due to their mountainous and upland terrain.

In the late 18th century, a notable figure named Halvor Opland (1745-1820) gained recognition as a skilled woodcarver and furniture maker in the Gudbrandsdalen valley of Oppland. His intricate carvings and furniture pieces can still be found in museums and private collections across Norway.

Another noteworthy individual with the surname Opland was Inger Opland (1820-1904), a Norwegian-American pioneer who emigrated to the United States in the mid-19th century. She settled in Minnesota and played a significant role in establishing Norwegian communities in the region.

In the 20th century, Kjell Opland (1913-1997) was a renowned Norwegian architect known for his modernist designs. He was responsible for several iconic buildings in Oslo, including the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) headquarters and the Holmenkollen Chapel.

It is worth mentioning that variations of the name Opland, such as Oplund and Oplund, have also been recorded throughout history, reflecting regional spelling differences or changes over time.

Overall, the surname Opland has a rich history deeply rooted in Norwegian heritage, with its earliest origins tracing back to the upland regions of central and eastern Norway during the Middle Ages. It has been carried by notable individuals in various fields, including woodcarving, furniture making, architecture, and pioneering efforts in the United States.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Opland

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

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 Opland 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 Opland 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 Opland was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!