2000
#8,402
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,615
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.34
Rare Last name
Sandstrom
A Swedish surname derived from the words "sand" and "ström," meaning a stream or current flowing through sandy terrain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,930 Americans carry the last name Sandstrom. That puts it at #9,152 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.15 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 87,215 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sandstrom 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
3.9K
1 in 87,215
Census rank
#9,152
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,427 bearers of the surname Sandstrom in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.15 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9152nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sandstrom, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sandstrom
The surname Sandstrom has its origins in Sweden and dates back to the 16th century. It is a combination of the Swedish words "sand" meaning sand, and "ström" meaning stream or flow, likely referring to someone who lived near a sandy stream or river.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sandstrom can be found in the Swedish parish records from the mid-1600s, where a family with this surname is mentioned in the village of Hälsingland. The spelling variations at that time included Sandström, Sandeström, and Sandestrom.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Sandstrom name appeared in various Swedish census records and tax rolls, particularly in the regions of Värmland, Dalarna, and Småland. These areas were known for their numerous sandy rivers and streams, which may have influenced the origin of the surname.
In the late 18th century, a notable individual named Carl Sandstrom (1741-1812) was a Swedish merchant and ship owner who played a significant role in the development of the Swedish East India Company. He was recognized for his contributions to the country's maritime trade and commerce.
Another prominent Sandstrom was Johan August Sandstrom (1804-1892), a Swedish botanist and mycologist who made significant contributions to the study of fungi and lichens. He published several works on the subject, including "Conspectus Fungorum in Agro Uplandico" in 1836.
In the literary world, August Sandstrom (1855-1916) was a Swedish novelist and playwright known for his works that explored social issues and the lives of the working class. His notable works include the novel "Herr Arnes Penningar" (1891) and the play "Saltstaden" (1905).
Another notable figure was Karin Sandstrom (1895-1981), a Swedish artist and painter known for her vibrant and expressive landscape paintings. She was a member of the Konstakademien (Royal Academy of Arts) and had several successful exhibitions throughout her career.
The Sandstrom surname also found its way to other parts of the world, including the United States, where it was likely brought by Swedish immigrants in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. One example is John Sandstrom (1879-1965), an American architect who designed several notable buildings in New York City, including the Bergdorf Goodman department store.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sandstrom
Among Census respondents with the surname Sandstrom, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Sandstrom 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 Sandstrom surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 3,108
- Two or more races4.3% · 149
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 115
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 19
- Black or African American0.3% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sandstrom
Sandstrom 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
#7,627
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,352
+737 bearers (+20.4%)
Per 100,000 1.48
Rank movement Up 775 places
2020
#9,152
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,427
-925 bearers (-21.3%)
Per 100,000 1.15
Rank movement Down 1,525 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,402 | 3,615 | 1.34 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,627 | 4,352 | 1.48 | +737 bearers (+20.4%) | Up 775 places |
| 2020 | #9,152 | 3,427 | 1.15 | -925 bearers (-21.3%) | Down 1,525 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 Sandstrom 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 | #7,627 | #9,152 | -20.0% |
| Count | 4,352 | 3,427 | -21.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.48 | 1.15 | -22.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sandstrom bearers went from 4,352 to 3,427 (-21.3% change). The surname moved down 1,525 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,627 to #9,152.
FAQ
Sandstrom surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sandstrom?
Name Census estimates that about 3,930 living Americans carry the surname Sandstrom. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 87,215 residents.
How common is Sandstrom?
Sandstrom ranks #9,152 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.15 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,427 people with the surname Sandstrom. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,930), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.15 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.15 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Sandstrom.
Has Sandstrom become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sandstrom went from 4,352 recorded bearers to 3,427. That is a decrease of 925 (-21.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,627 to #9,152.
What does the Census say about the background of Sandstrom?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sandstrom, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Sandstrom in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (3,108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sandstrom appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Two or More Races (4.3%), Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Sandstrom (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 Sandstrom mean?
A Swedish surname derived from the words "sand" and "ström," meaning a stream or current flowing through sandy terrain. 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 Sandstrom (1.15 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 are called Sandstrom?
Want to know how common the surname Sandstrom is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.