2000
#124,872
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Selanders
A Swedish surname derived from a place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 115 Americans carry the last name Selanders. That puts it at #155,682 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,980,473 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Selanders 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
115
1 in 2,980,473
Census rank
#155,682
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
100
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 100 bearers of the surname Selanders in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155682nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Selanders, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Selanders
The surname Selanders is of Swedish origin and can be traced back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated from the Swedish town of Selånger, which is located in the northern region of Västernorrland. The name is derived from the Old Norse words "sel" meaning "seal" and "ånga" meaning "stream" or "inlet", likely referring to a seal-rich inlet or stream in the area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Selanders name appears in the Swedish church records of Selånger parish from the late 1500s. In these records, the name was often spelled as "Selånger" or "Selångare", reflecting the name's close ties to the town's location.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Selanders name began to spread beyond the Selånger region as families migrated to other parts of Sweden. Notable individuals from this period include Johan Selanders (1638-1712), a prominent merchant and landowner in the city of Stockholm, and Anna Selanders (1701-1783), a respected educator and philanthropist in Gothenburg.
As the name became more widespread, variations in spelling emerged, such as "Sellander" and "Sællander". One of the earliest examples of this variation can be found in the birth records of Carl Sellander (1776-1842), a Swedish military officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars.
In the 19th century, some Selanders families emigrated to North America, particularly to the United States and Canada. One of the earliest known emigrants was Nils Selanders (1821-1898), who settled in Minnesota in the 1860s and became a successful farmer.
Throughout history, the Selanders name has been associated with various professions and fields. Notable individuals include Axel Selanders (1856-1936), a Swedish author and journalist known for his works on Swedish culture and history, and Karin Selanders (1904-1995), a celebrated Swedish actress and film director who worked predominantly in the 1930s and 1940s.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Selanders
Among Census respondents with the surname Selanders, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Selanders 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 Selanders surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.0% · 89
- Hispanic or Latino6.0% · 6
- Two or more races3.0% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Selanders
Selanders 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
#150,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-18 bearers (-14.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 25,580 places
2020
#155,682
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-9 bearers (-8.3%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 5,230 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,872 | 127 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | -18 bearers (-14.2%) | Down 25,580 places |
| 2020 | #155,682 | 100 | 0.03 | -9 bearers (-8.3%) | Down 5,230 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 Selanders 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 | #150,452 | #155,682 | -3.5% |
| Count | 109 | 100 | -8.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -16.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Selanders bearers went from 109 to 100 (-8.3% change). The surname moved down 5,230 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #155,682.
FAQ
Selanders surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Selanders?
Name Census estimates that about 115 living Americans carry the surname Selanders. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,980,473 residents.
How common is Selanders?
Selanders ranks #155,682 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 100 people with the surname Selanders. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (115), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Selanders.
Has Selanders become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Selanders went from 109 recorded bearers to 100. That is a decrease of 9 (-8.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #150,452 to #155,682.
What does the Census say about the background of Selanders?
Among Census respondents with the surname Selanders, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Selanders in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.0% (89 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Selanders appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.0%), Hispanic (6.0%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Selanders (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 Selanders mean?
A Swedish surname derived from a place name. 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 Selanders (0.03 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 Selanders?
If you just want to know how many people are called Selanders, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.