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

Runquist, 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 Runquist surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Runquist in America

Runquist is the 50564th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Runquist surname appeared 413 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 Runquist.

We can also compare 2010 data for Runquist 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 Runquist

The surname Runquist has its origins in Sweden, and it dates back to the early 17th century. The name is believed to be derived from the Old Norse words "rún" meaning "rune" or "mystery," and "kvista" which translates to "branch" or "twig." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a distinctive or mysterious branch or tree.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Runquist can be found in the Swedish church records from the parish of Gräsmark in the county of Värmland, where a man named Olof Runquist was born in 1623. The name also appears in various Swedish census records and tax rolls from the 17th and 18th centuries, indicating that it was a well-established surname in certain regions of Sweden during that time period.

In the 19th century, the name Runquist began to spread beyond Sweden as some families emigrated to other parts of the world. One notable individual with this surname was Johan Gustaf Runquist, a Swedish-American engineer and inventor who was born in 1819 and later became a prominent figure in the early days of the American telegraph industry.

Another significant figure with the Runquist name was Maria Runquist, a Swedish author and feminist who lived from 1856 to 1940. She was a pioneering advocate for women's rights and education in Sweden and played a crucial role in the establishment of several women's organizations and educational institutions.

In the 20th century, the name Runquist continued to be found across various parts of the world, particularly in countries with strong Swedish immigration histories. One example is Olof Runquist, a Swedish-American painter born in 1907 who gained recognition for his landscape paintings depicting scenes from the American West.

Another individual of note was Roald Runquist, a Norwegian-American athlete who competed in the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, representing the United States in the long jump event.

Throughout its history, the surname Runquist has also been associated with various place names and variations in spelling, such as Runqvist, Runquist, and Runkvist, reflecting regional linguistic differences and changes over time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Runquist

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

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

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

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