2000
#150,436
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Sundlie
A surname derived from the Old Norse words 'sundr' meaning south and 'li' meaning shelter or meadow.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Sundlie. 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 Sundlie 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 Sundlie 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 Sundlie, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.4%) and Hispanic (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sundlie
The surname Sundlie originates from Norway, with its roots dating back to the 9th century. The name is derived from the Old Norse word "sundr," meaning "apart" or "asunder," and is believed to have been initially used as a descriptive surname for someone who lived in a remote or isolated location.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Sundlie surname can be found in the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, a collection of Norwegian medieval documents from the 12th to the 16th centuries. This collection includes references to individuals with variations of the name, such as "Sundri" and "Sundre."
In the 14th century, the Sundlie name appeared in the Tingbok fra Hardanger, a medieval court record from the Hardanger region of Norway. This document mentions a man named Eirik Sundlie, who was involved in a legal dispute over land ownership.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Sundlie name gained prominence in the Numedal valley of southern Norway. Several notable individuals from this area bore the surname, including Halvor Sundlie (1560-1638), a respected farmer and landowner, and Ingrid Sundlie (1612-1687), a skilled weaver and textile artist.
In the 18th century, the Sundlie name spread to other parts of Norway, with records showing individuals bearing the surname in the regions of Telemark, Østfold, and Trøndelag. One prominent figure from this period was Nils Sundlie (1726-1801), a respected Lutheran minister who served in the parish of Vågå.
As Norwegians began immigrating to other parts of the world, particularly North America, in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the Sundlie surname traveled with them. Notable individuals from this era include:
1. Erik Sundlie (1858-1923), a Norwegian-American businessman and community leader in Seattle, Washington.
2. Anna Sundlie (1871-1952), a Norwegian-American author and educator who wrote extensively about Norwegian culture and folklore.
3. Ola Sundlie (1880-1963), a Norwegian-American farmer and politician who served in the North Dakota State Legislature.
4. Knut Sundlie (1892-1978), a Norwegian-American artist known for his landscape paintings of the Pacific Northwest.
5. Ingrid Sundlie (1905-1989), a Norwegian-American operatic soprano who performed with the New York City Opera and the San Francisco Opera.
While the Sundlie surname may have evolved and spread across various regions over the centuries, its origins can be traced back to the rugged landscapes of ancient Norway, where it reflected the isolated and remote dwellings of its earliest bearers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sundlie
Among Census respondents with the surname Sundlie, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.4%) and Hispanic (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Sundlie 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 Sundlie surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.1% · 87
- Two or more races10.4% · 11
- Hispanic or Latino4.7% · 5
- Black or African American1.9% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sundlie
Sundlie 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
+9 bearers (+9.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16 places
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-3 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,887 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #150,436 | 100 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+9.0%) | Down 16 places |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.8%) | Down 1,887 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 Sundlie 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 | #152,339 | -1.3% |
| Count | 109 | 106 | -2.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sundlie bearers went from 109 to 106 (-2.8% change). The surname moved down 1,887 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #152,339.
FAQ
Sundlie surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sundlie?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Sundlie. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Sundlie?
Sundlie 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 Sundlie. 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 Sundlie.
Has Sundlie become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sundlie went from 109 recorded bearers to 106. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #150,452 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Sundlie?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sundlie, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.4%) and Hispanic (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 Sundlie in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.1% (87 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sundlie appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.1%), Two or More Races (10.4%), Hispanic (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 Sundlie (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 Sundlie mean?
A surname derived from the Old Norse words 'sundr' meaning south and 'li' meaning shelter or meadow. 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 Sundlie (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 share the surname Sundlie?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.