2000
#11,803
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,431
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.90
Rare Last name
Sundquist
A Swedish toponymic surname derived from the words "sund" meaning "strait" and "kvist" meaning "twig" or "branch."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,689 Americans carry the last name Sundquist. That puts it at #12,588 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 127,465 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sundquist 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
2.7K
1 in 127,465
Census rank
#12,588
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,345 bearers of the surname Sundquist in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12588th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sundquist, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sundquist
The surname Sundquist is of Swedish origin and derives from two Old Norse words: sunna, meaning "sun," and kvist, meaning "branch" or "twig." This combination suggests the name may have originated as a descriptive byname for someone who lived near a sunny branch or a sunny place in the woods.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 17th century in Sweden. One of the earliest documented examples is from the parish records of Örebro County, where a man named Olof Sundquist was mentioned in 1674.
In the 18th century, the name appeared in various parts of Sweden, including the provinces of Dalarna and Västmanland. One notable bearer was Pehr Sundquist, a farmer and landowner in Grangärde parish, Dalarna, who was born in 1734 and died in 1811.
As the name spread across Sweden, it also evolved into different spellings and variations, such as Sundqvist, Sundkvist, and Sundqwist. These variants reflect the regional dialects and pronunciation differences within the country.
In the 19th century, the Sundquist name gained more prominence, with several individuals leaving their mark in various fields. One such person was Carl Fredrik Sundquist (1801-1879), a Swedish painter known for his landscapes and portraits.
Another notable bearer was Nils Sundquist (1831-1904), a Swedish-American immigrant who became a successful businessman and philanthropist in the United States. He founded the Sundquist Nursery Company in Amesbury, Massachusetts, which played a significant role in the development of the local horticulture industry.
In the 20th century, the Sundquist name continued to be represented across different professions. One prominent figure was Elmer Sundquist (1908-1995), an American football player and coach who played for the Green Bay Packers and later served as the head coach at the University of Wisconsin.
It's important to note that while the name Sundquist is predominantly Swedish in origin, it has also been adopted by individuals in other Scandinavian countries, such as Norway and Denmark, due to the close cultural and linguistic ties between these regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sundquist
Among Census respondents with the surname Sundquist, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Sundquist 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 Sundquist surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.6% · 2,149
- Two or more races3.7% · 86
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 62
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 22
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 20
- Black or African American0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sundquist
Sundquist 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
#12,548
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,468
+37 bearers (+1.5%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Down 745 places
2020
#12,588
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,345
-123 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Down 40 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,803 | 2,431 | 0.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,548 | 2,468 | 0.84 | +37 bearers (+1.5%) | Down 745 places |
| 2020 | #12,588 | 2,345 | 0.78 | -123 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 40 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 Sundquist 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 | #12,548 | #12,588 | -0.3% |
| Count | 2,468 | 2,345 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.84 | 0.78 | -6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sundquist bearers went from 2,468 to 2,345 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 40 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,548 to #12,588.
FAQ
Sundquist surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sundquist?
Name Census estimates that about 2,689 living Americans carry the surname Sundquist. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 127,465 residents.
How common is Sundquist?
Sundquist ranks #12,588 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.78 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,345 people with the surname Sundquist. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,689), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.78 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.78 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Sundquist.
Has Sundquist become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sundquist went from 2,468 recorded bearers to 2,345. That is a decrease of 123 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,548 to #12,588.
What does the Census say about the background of Sundquist?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sundquist, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Sundquist in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (2,149 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sundquist appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.6%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Sundquist (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 Sundquist mean?
A Swedish toponymic surname derived from the words "sund" meaning "strait" and "kvist" meaning "twig" or "branch." 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 Sundquist (0.78 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 Sundquist?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.