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

Quarnstrom, 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 Quarnstrom surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Quarnstrom in America

Quarnstrom is the 61436th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Quarnstrom surname appeared 327 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 Quarnstrom.

We can also compare 2010 data for Quarnstrom 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 Quarnstrom

The surname Quarnstrom has its origins in Scandinavia, with the earliest recorded examples dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have been derived from the Old Norse words "kvarn" meaning a mill, and "strömm" meaning a stream, suggesting that the name originally referred to someone who lived near a mill stream.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Olof Quarnstrom, a Swedish farmer who lived in the village of Möklinta, Västmanland in the late 1500s. Records from the time show that he owned a small mill along the banks of the Kolbäcksån river.

By the 17th century, the Quarnstrom name had spread across Sweden, with various spellings such as Quarnström, Quarnstroem, and Quarnstromm appearing in local parish records and tax rolls. Notably, a Johan Quarnstrom (1623-1697) was a prominent merchant and landowner in the city of Kalmar.

As Swedes began to emigrate to North America in the 19th century, many Quarnstroms settled in the Midwest, particularly in Minnesota and Wisconsin. One of the earliest arrivals was Nils Quarnstrom (1812-1891), who came from Småland and established a farm near Red Wing, Minnesota in the 1850s.

Another notable bearer of the name was Carl Quarnstrom (1867-1944), a Swedish-American inventor and engineer who held several patents for improvements to agricultural machinery. He was born in Värmland, Sweden, but later moved to Chicago where he founded the Quarnstrom Plow Company.

In more recent history, the name Quarnstrom has been carried by individuals such as Gunnar Quarnstrom (1904-1988), a Swedish businessman and industrialist who founded the successful engineering firm Alfa-Laval, and Inger Quarnstrom (1920-2008), a Swedish fashion designer known for her innovative and minimalist styles.

While the Quarnstrom surname is relatively uncommon outside of Scandinavia and Scandinavian-American communities, it has a rich history that can be traced back to the medieval period and the rural landscapes of Sweden.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Quarnstrom

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

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

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

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