2000
#13,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,042
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.76
Rare Last name
Sundstrom
A Swedish surname derived from the words "sund" (strait) and "ström" (stream), likely referring to someone living near a sea channel.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,407 Americans carry the last name Sundstrom. That puts it at #13,789 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 142,399 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sundstrom 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
2.4K
1 in 142,399
Census rank
#13,789
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,099 bearers of the surname Sundstrom in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13789th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sundstrom, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sundstrom
The surname Sundstrom originated in Sweden, with its earliest recorded examples dating back to the 16th century. The name is derived from the Old Swedish words 'sund' meaning 'sound' or 'strait' and 'ström' meaning 'stream' or 'current'. It's believed that the name was originally given to individuals who lived near a strait or a narrow body of water with a strong current.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sundstrom can be found in the Swedish Census Rolls of 1583, where a man named Nils Sundstrom is listed as residing in the town of Kalmar. Another early reference to the name is in the parish records of Västerås, where a person named Erik Sundstrom is mentioned in 1612.
Sundstrom is also found in the Swedish Household Examination Rolls, which were detailed records of families and households maintained by local parishes. In these rolls, there are several entries for families with the surname Sundstrom, indicating that the name was fairly widespread in various parts of Sweden by the 17th and 18th centuries.
Notable individuals with the surname Sundstrom include Johan Sundstrom (1792-1867), a Swedish botanist and explorer who conducted extensive research on the flora of Scandinavia. Another prominent figure was Carl Sundstrom (1858-1936), a Swedish architect who designed several notable buildings in Stockholm, including the Stockholm Public Library.
In the literary world, Gunnar Sundstrom (1886-1964) was a Swedish author and poet who gained recognition for his works that explored the lives of working-class people in Sweden. Axel Sundstrom (1901-1971) was a Swedish painter and sculptor known for his abstract and surrealist works.
Moving to the realm of sports, Gunnar Sundstrom (1920-2001) was a Swedish ice hockey player who represented Sweden in several international tournaments, including the Winter Olympics.
While the surname Sundstrom originated in Sweden, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and has become more widely adopted, particularly in countries with significant Swedish populations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sundstrom
Among Census respondents with the surname Sundstrom, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Sundstrom 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 Sundstrom surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.1% · 1,892
- Two or more races4.2% · 88
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 79
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 30
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 7
- Black or African American0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sundstrom
Sundstrom 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
#21,403
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,222
-820 bearers (-40.2%)
Per 100,000 0.41
Rank movement Down 7,775 places
2020
#13,789
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,099
+877 bearers (+71.8%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Up 7,614 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,628 | 2,042 | 0.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #21,403 | 1,222 | 0.41 | -820 bearers (-40.2%) | Down 7,775 places |
| 2020 | #13,789 | 2,099 | 0.70 | +877 bearers (+71.8%) | Up 7,614 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 Sundstrom 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 | #21,403 | #13,789 | 35.6% |
| Count | 1,222 | 2,099 | 71.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.41 | 0.70 | 71.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sundstrom bearers went from 1,222 to 2,099 (+71.8% change). The surname moved up 7,614 positions in the national ranking, going from #21,403 to #13,789.
FAQ
Sundstrom surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sundstrom?
Name Census estimates that about 2,407 living Americans carry the surname Sundstrom. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 142,399 residents.
How common is Sundstrom?
Sundstrom ranks #13,789 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.70 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 2,099 people with the surname Sundstrom. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,407), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.70 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 Sundstrom.
Has Sundstrom become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sundstrom went from 1,222 recorded bearers to 2,099. That is an increase of 877 (+71.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #21,403 to #13,789.
What does the Census say about the background of Sundstrom?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sundstrom, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Sundstrom in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.1% (1,892 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sundstrom appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.1%), Two or More Races (4.2%), Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Sundstrom (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 Sundstrom mean?
A Swedish surname derived from the words "sund" (strait) and "ström" (stream), likely referring to someone living near a sea channel. 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 Sundstrom (0.70 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 common is the surname Sundstrom?
Find out how many people have the last name Sundstrom on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.