2010
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Skartvedt
A Norwegian topographic surname referring to someone living near a steep cliff or gully.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 115 Americans carry the last name Skartvedt. 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 Skartvedt 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 Skartvedt 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 Skartvedt, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.0%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Skartvedt
The surname Skartvedt originates from Norway, dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old Norse words "skart," meaning "ornament" or "adornment," and "vedt," meaning "wood" or "forest." This combination suggests that the name may have originated from a person living in or near a decorated or adorned forest area.
Skartvedt is believed to have first appeared in historical records from the Agder region of southern Norway, specifically in the area around the city of Kristiansand. The earliest known reference to the name can be found in a 13th-century manuscript from the Kristiansand Cathedral, which mentions a landowner named Torbjørn Skartvedt.
In the 16th century, a prominent figure named Olav Skartvedt was recorded as a merchant and ship owner from the town of Grimstad, located in the Agder region. He played a significant role in the local trade and maritime industry during that period.
The Skartvedt name can also be traced back to the village of Skartvedtmoen, located in the municipality of Birkenes, Agder. This place name likely influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.
One notable individual with the Skartvedt surname was Nils Skartvedt (1620-1688), a wealthy landowner and farmer from the Birkenes area. He was recognized for his contributions to the local community and his role in the development of agriculture in the region.
Another prominent figure was Hans Skartvedt (1745-1813), a Norwegian military officer who served in the Danish-Norwegian Army during the Napoleonic Wars. He participated in several battles against Swedish forces and rose to the rank of Major General.
In the 19th century, Ingrid Skartvedt (1825-1901) gained recognition as a talented writer and poet. Her works often reflected the cultural heritage and traditions of the Agder region, celebrating the beauty of the Norwegian landscape and the lives of rural communities.
Throughout history, variations in the spelling of the surname have been observed, including Skartved, Skartvedt, and Skartvedth, reflecting regional dialects and linguistic changes over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Skartvedt
Among Census respondents with the surname Skartvedt, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.0%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Skartvedt 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 Skartvedt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.0% · 85
- Hispanic or Latino8.0% · 8
- Two or more races4.0% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.0% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Skartvedt
Skartvedt appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#155,682
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-10 bearers (-9.1%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 6,287 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #155,682 | 100 | 0.03 | -10 bearers (-9.1%) | Down 6,287 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 Skartvedt 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 | #155,682 | -4.2% |
| Count | 110 | 100 | -9.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -16.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Skartvedt bearers went from 110 to 100 (-9.1% change). The surname moved down 6,287 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #155,682.
FAQ
Skartvedt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Skartvedt?
Name Census estimates that about 115 living Americans carry the surname Skartvedt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,980,473 residents.
How common is Skartvedt?
Skartvedt 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 Skartvedt. 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 Skartvedt.
Has Skartvedt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Skartvedt went from 110 recorded bearers to 100. That is a decrease of 10 (-9.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #149,395 to #155,682.
What does the Census say about the background of Skartvedt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Skartvedt, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.0%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Skartvedt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.0% (85 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Skartvedt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.0%), Hispanic (8.0%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Skartvedt (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 Skartvedt mean?
A Norwegian topographic surname referring to someone living near a steep cliff or gully. 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 Skartvedt (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 Americans have the surname Skartvedt?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.