2000
#96,033
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 176
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.07
Very Rare Last name
Svedin
A Swedish surname meaning "son of Sven".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 269 Americans carry the last name Svedin. That puts it at #85,600 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,274,180 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Svedin 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
269
1 in 1,274,180
Census rank
#85,600
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
235
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 235 bearers of the surname Svedin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 85600th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Svedin, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.1%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Svedin
The surname Svedin has its origins in Sweden, tracing back to the 17th century. It is believed to be a topographic name derived from the Old Norse word "sveði," meaning a clearing or a burnt patch of land. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to people who lived near or worked on such cleared areas of land.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Svedin can be found in the parish records of Västergötland, a historical province in southwestern Sweden. In the 1690s, there are mentions of individuals with the surname Svedin living in the parishes of Östra Frölunda and Björketorp.
During the 18th century, the Svedin name appeared in various parts of Sweden, including the regions of Västergötland, Östergötland, and Småland. Notable individuals from this period include Johan Svedin (1718-1792), a farmer from Västergötland, and Lars Svedin (1745-1810), a tailor from Östergötland.
In the 19th century, the Svedin surname continued to be present in Sweden, with some individuals migrating to other parts of the world. One such example is Nils Svedin (1819-1892), who emigrated from Västergötland to the United States in the mid-1800s and settled in Minnesota.
Another notable figure was Axel Svedin (1858-1943), a Swedish architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings in Stockholm, including the Stockholm City Library and the Stockholm City Hall.
Moving into the 20th century, Knut Svedin (1901-1988) was a Swedish engineer and inventor who contributed significantly to the development of the modern ball bearing. He worked for the Swedish company SKF and held numerous patents related to ball bearing technology.
It's worth mentioning that the Svedin name has also been found in various spelling variations throughout history, such as Swedin, Sveding, and Svedine, reflecting regional dialects and linguistic changes over time.
While the Svedin surname may not be among the most common in Sweden today, it has a rich history that spans several centuries and has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including farmers, artisans, architects, and inventors.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Svedin
Among Census respondents with the surname Svedin, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.1%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Svedin 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 Svedin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.6% · 227
- Two or more races2.1% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Svedin
Svedin 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
#80,926
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 234
+58 bearers (+33.0%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Up 15,107 places
2020
#85,600
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 235
+1 bearers (+0.4%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Down 4,674 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #96,033 | 176 | 0.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #80,926 | 234 | 0.08 | +58 bearers (+33.0%) | Up 15,107 places |
| 2020 | #85,600 | 235 | 0.08 | +1 bearers (+0.4%) | Down 4,674 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 Svedin 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 | #80,926 | #85,600 | -5.8% |
| Count | 234 | 235 | 0.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.08 | 0.08 | -1.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Svedin bearers went from 234 to 235 (+0.4% change). The surname moved down 4,674 positions in the national ranking, going from #80,926 to #85,600.
FAQ
Svedin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Svedin?
Name Census estimates that about 269 living Americans carry the surname Svedin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,274,180 residents.
How common is Svedin?
Svedin ranks #85,600 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.08 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 235 people with the surname Svedin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (269), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.08 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 Svedin.
Has Svedin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Svedin went from 234 recorded bearers to 235. That is an increase of 1 (+0.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #80,926 to #85,600.
What does the Census say about the background of Svedin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Svedin, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.1%) and Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Svedin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.6% (227 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Svedin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.6%), Two or More Races (2.1%), Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Svedin (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 Svedin mean?
A Swedish surname meaning "son of Sven". 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 Svedin (0.08 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 are called Svedin?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Svedin on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.