2000
#3,555
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,179
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.40
Rare Last name
Strom
A Swedish surname derived from the Old Norse word "straumr," meaning "stream" or "current."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,933 Americans carry the last name Strom. That puts it at #3,972 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.90 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 34,507 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Strom 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Strom with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.9K
1 in 34,507
Census rank
#3,972
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,662 bearers of the surname Strom in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.90 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3972nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Strom, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Strom
The surname Strom originated in Sweden and has its roots in the Old Norse word "straumr", which means "stream" or "current". This name is thought to have been first adopted by people who lived near a river or stream.
In the early medieval period, the name was found in various parts of Scandinavia, particularly in the regions of modern-day Sweden and Norway. The earliest recorded instance of the name dates back to the 13th century, when a man named Inge Stromsson was mentioned in the Icelandic sagas.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the Strom surname appeared in various records and manuscripts across Scandinavia. One notable example is the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, a collection of Norwegian historical documents from the 12th to the 16th centuries, which contains several references to individuals with the Strom surname.
In the 16th century, the name Strom can be found in the Swedish parish records, particularly in the regions of Västergötland and Småland. During this time, the spelling of the name varied, with forms such as Strohm, Ström, and Stråhm appearing in different records.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Strom surname was Johan Strom, a Swedish clergyman born in 1584 in Småland. He served as a vicar in several parishes and was known for his efforts in promoting education and literacy in rural areas.
Another notable figure with the Strom surname was Hans Strom, a Norwegian naturalist and clergyman born in 1726 in Sogndal. He made significant contributions to the study of natural history in Norway and authored several works on the flora and fauna of the region.
In the 19th century, the Strom surname gained prominence in the United States due to Swedish and Norwegian immigration. One of the earliest known Strom immigrants was Nils Strom, who arrived in New York City from Sweden in 1842.
Another notable individual with the Strom surname was Vilhelm Strom, a Swedish-American engineer born in 1874 in Småland. He played a crucial role in the construction of the Panama Canal and was recognized for his innovative engineering solutions.
As the Strom surname spread across different regions, it adopted variations in spelling and pronunciation, reflecting the linguistic and cultural influences of those areas. However, the name's core meaning and connection to water sources remained a common thread throughout its history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Strom
Among Census respondents with the surname Strom, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Strom 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 Strom surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.9% · 7,875
- Two or more races3.3% · 282
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 265
- Black or African American1.2% · 103
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 84
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 53
Timeline
Historical Census data for Strom
Strom 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
#3,877
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,142
-37 bearers (-0.4%)
Per 100,000 3.10
Rank movement Down 322 places
2020
#3,972
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,662
-480 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 2.90
Rank movement Down 95 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,555 | 9,179 | 3.40 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,877 | 9,142 | 3.10 | -37 bearers (-0.4%) | Down 322 places |
| 2020 | #3,972 | 8,662 | 2.90 | -480 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 95 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 Strom 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 | #3,877 | #3,972 | -2.5% |
| Count | 9,142 | 8,662 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 3.10 | 2.90 | -6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Strom bearers went from 9,142 to 8,662 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 95 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,877 to #3,972.
FAQ
Strom surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Strom?
Name Census estimates that about 9,933 living Americans carry the surname Strom. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 34,507 residents.
How common is Strom?
Strom ranks #3,972 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.90 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,662 people with the surname Strom. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,933), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.9 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.90 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Strom.
Has Strom become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Strom went from 9,142 recorded bearers to 8,662. That is a decrease of 480 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,877 to #3,972.
What does the Census say about the background of Strom?
Among Census respondents with the surname Strom, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Strom in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.9% (7,875 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Strom appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.9%), Two or More Races (3.3%), Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Strom (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 Strom mean?
A Swedish surname derived from the Old Norse word "straumr," meaning "stream" or "current." 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 Strom (2.90 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 Strom?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Strom at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.