2000
#141,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Skaling
A surname potentially derived from the Old Norse word "skáli," meaning a temporary shed or hut.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Skaling. 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 Skaling 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 Skaling 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 Skaling, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Skaling
The surname Skaling is believed to have originated in Norway during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old Norse word "skáli," which means "hut" or "shed." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived in a small dwelling or perhaps worked in a shed or outbuilding.
The earliest known records of the name Skaling date back to the 13th century, where it appears in various Norwegian genealogical records and historical documents. One notable mention is found in the "Diplomatarium Norvegicum," a collection of medieval Norwegian charters and deeds, which includes a reference to a person named Thorstein Skaling in the year 1294.
During the 14th and 15th centuries, the name Skaling began to spread beyond Norway, with some instances of it appearing in Swedish and Danish records. This was likely due to migration and intermarriage between the Scandinavian countries during this period.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Skaling was Harald Skaling, a Norwegian farmer who lived in the late 14th century in the region of Trøndelag. Historical records indicate that he was involved in a land dispute with a neighboring farmer over the boundaries of their properties.
In the 16th century, a notable figure named Ingrid Skaling was mentioned in the records of the city of Bergen, Norway. She was a merchant and trader who played an important role in the city's economic life during that time.
Another significant individual bearing the Skaling surname was Jens Skaling, a Danish naval officer who served in the Danish-Norwegian Navy during the 17th century. He participated in several naval battles against Swedish forces and was commended for his bravery and leadership.
In the 18th century, a Norwegian clergyman named Hans Skaling gained recognition for his work as a theologian and his contributions to the Lutheran Church in Norway. He authored several theological treatises and served as a pastor in the city of Trondheim.
One of the more recent historical figures with the surname Skaling was Nils Skaling, a Norwegian artist who lived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was known for his landscape paintings depicting the rugged beauty of the Norwegian fjords and mountains.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Skaling
Among Census respondents with the surname Skaling, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Skaling 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 Skaling surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.7% · 94
- Hispanic or Latino5.7% · 6
- Two or more races4.7% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Skaling
Skaling 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
#140,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+11 bearers (+10.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,631 places
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-13 bearers (-10.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,182 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #141,788 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #140,157 | 119 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+10.2%) | Up 1,631 places |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | -13 bearers (-10.9%) | Down 12,182 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 Skaling 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 | #140,157 | #152,339 | -8.7% |
| Count | 119 | 106 | -10.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Skaling bearers went from 119 to 106 (-10.9% change). The surname moved down 12,182 positions in the national ranking, going from #140,157 to #152,339.
FAQ
Skaling surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Skaling?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Skaling. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Skaling?
Skaling 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 Skaling. 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 Skaling.
Has Skaling become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Skaling went from 119 recorded bearers to 106. That is a decrease of 13 (-10.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #140,157 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Skaling?
Among Census respondents with the surname Skaling, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Skaling in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.7% (94 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Skaling appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.7%), Hispanic (5.7%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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.
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 Skaling (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 Skaling mean?
A surname potentially derived from the Old Norse word "skáli," meaning a temporary shed or hut. 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 Skaling (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 Skaling?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Skaling, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.