2000
#142,819
National surname rank
First available Census row
A Norwegian surname derived from places like Skadberg in Vestfold og Telemark, Norway.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Skadberg. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Skadberg 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Skadberg in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Skadberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
The surname SKADBERG originates from Norway, tracing its roots back to the medieval period around the 13th century. It likely derived from the Old Norse words "skað" meaning harm or damage, and "berg" meaning mountain or cliff. This suggests the name may have initially referred to a person living near a treacherous or perilous mountainside.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the SKADBERG name appears in the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, a collection of Norwegian medieval documents and diplomas from the 12th to the 16th centuries. Here, a person named Thorvald SKADBERG is mentioned in a deed dated 1349, relating to a land transaction in the Gudbrandsdalen valley region of Norway.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, variations of the name such as SKAADBERG, SKADBIERG, and SKADEBIERG can be found in parish records and census documents from various parts of Norway, particularly in the regions of Oppland, Hedmark, and Møre og Romsdal.
Notable individuals bearing the SKADBERG surname include Sigurd SKADBERG (1707-1783), a prominent farmer and landowner from Lesja, Oppland, who played a key role in resolving a long-standing boundary dispute between neighboring communities. Another was Ingeborg SKADBERG (1825-1899), a respected midwife and traditional healer from Nordfjord, Sogn og Fjordane, whose expertise was sought after throughout the region.
In the 19th century, Nils SKADBERG (1842-1912), a skilled carpenter and woodworker from Lom, Oppland, gained recognition for his exceptional craftsmanship in building traditional Norwegian stave churches and farmhouses. His son, Ola SKADBERG (1875-1948), followed in his footsteps and became a renowned architect, responsible for designing several landmark buildings in Oslo and other Norwegian cities.
Another prominent figure was Hans SKADBERG (1898-1972), a pioneering Norwegian explorer and mountaineer who led several expeditions to the Arctic regions and was among the first to successfully summit several previously unclimbed peaks in Svalbard and Greenland.
While the SKADBERG name is relatively uncommon outside of Norway, it continues to hold historical significance and a strong connection to the rugged landscapes and traditions of the Norwegian countryside.
Demographics
Among Census respondents with the surname Skadberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Skadberg 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 Skadberg surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
Timeline
Skadberg 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.
2000
National surname rank
First available Census row
2010
National surname rank
+6 bearers (+5.6%)
2020
National surname rank
+3 bearers (+2.7%)
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #142,819 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.6%) | Down 3,382 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.7%) | Up 1,173 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
How has the Skadberg surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #146,201 | #145,028 | 0.8% |
| Count | 113 | 116 | 2.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Skadberg bearers went from 113 to 116 (+2.7% change). The surname moved up 1,173 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #145,028.
FAQ
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Skadberg. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
Skadberg ranks #145,028 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.
The raw 2020 Census file counted 116 people with the surname Skadberg. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
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 Skadberg.
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Skadberg went from 113 recorded bearers to 116. That is an increase of 3 (+2.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #146,201 to #145,028.
Among Census respondents with the surname Skadberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%) and Two or More Races (1.7%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Skadberg in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.8% (110 people in the source table).
Skadberg appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%), Two or More Races (1.7%). 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.
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 Skadberg (2000, 2010, 2020).
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.
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.
A Norwegian surname derived from places like Skadberg in Vestfold og Telemark, Norway. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
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.
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 Skadberg (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.
You can see how common the surname Skadberg is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.