2000
#130,443
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Rustvold
A locational surname referring to someone from a place with rust-colored fields or soil.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Rustvold. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rustvold 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Rustvold in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rustvold, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.2%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rustvold
The surname Rustvold originates from Norway, with its earliest recorded usage dating back to the 13th century. The name is derived from the Old Norse words "rust," meaning "rust-colored" or "reddish-brown," and "voll," meaning "field" or "meadow." It likely referred to an area of land with reddish-brown soil or vegetation.
Rustvold was a place name before it became a surname, referring to specific locations in various parts of Norway. One of the earliest known references to the name comes from a 1337 document from the Hardanger region, which mentions a farm called "Rustovollr."
In the 15th century, the name appeared in the form "Rustfuold" in the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, a collection of medieval Norwegian documents. This spelling variation highlights the name's evolution over time.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Rustvold was Torstein Rustvold, born around 1450 in Voss, Norway. He was a farmer and landowner who played a role in local disputes over property rights.
Another notable figure was Ingrid Rustvold, born in 1632 in Lom, Norway. She was accused of witchcraft during the Scandinavian witch trials and was eventually acquitted after a lengthy legal battle.
In the 18th century, Hans Rustvold (1712-1789) was a prominent merchant and shipowner from Bergen, Norway. He was involved in the lucrative trade routes between Norway and the Netherlands.
During the 19th century, the surname Rustvold became more widespread as families migrated from rural areas to cities and eventually to other countries. Peter Rustvold (1845-1912) was a Norwegian-American farmer and landowner who settled in Minnesota, USA.
Another notable figure was Kirsten Rustvold (1887-1972), a Norwegian writer and activist who campaigned for women's rights and social reform. Her novels and essays explored themes of gender equality and rural life in Norway.
While the surname Rustvold is not among the most common in Norway today, it remains a part of the country's cultural heritage, tracing its roots back to the medieval era and reflecting the nation's longstanding connection to agriculture and the land.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rustvold
Among Census respondents with the surname Rustvold, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.2%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Rustvold 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 Rustvold surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.2% · 102
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rustvold
Rustvold 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
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-10 bearers (-8.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 18,952 places
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-4 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,944 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #130,443 | 120 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-8.3%) | Down 18,952 places |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 2,944 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 Rustvold 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 | #149,395 | #152,339 | -2.0% |
| Count | 110 | 106 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rustvold bearers went from 110 to 106 (-3.6% change). The surname moved down 2,944 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #152,339.
FAQ
Rustvold surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rustvold?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Rustvold. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Rustvold?
Rustvold ranks #152,339 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 106 people with the surname Rustvold. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Rustvold.
Has Rustvold become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rustvold went from 110 recorded bearers to 106. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #149,395 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Rustvold?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rustvold, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.2%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%) and Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Rustvold in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.2% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rustvold appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.2%), Black (0.9%), Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Rustvold (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 Rustvold mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from a place with rust-colored fields or soil. 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 Rustvold (0.04 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 have the last name Rustvold?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Rustvold on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.