2000
#134,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Tingstad
A Norwegian surname derived from a farmstead name meaning "fenced area" or "enclosed meadow".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Tingstad. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tingstad 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Tingstad in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tingstad, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tingstad
The surname Tingstad originates from Norway, tracing its roots back to the 14th century. It is derived from the Old Norse words "þing" meaning an assembly or meeting place, and "staðr" meaning a place or location. Essentially, the name refers to a person residing near a local assembly site or courthouse.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Tingstad can be found in the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, a collection of ancient Norwegian charters and documents dating back to the 13th century. Here, the name appears as "Thingstadir" in a record from 1362, referring to a farm or settlement located near a "thing" or assembly site.
During the Middle Ages, the name was also documented in various parish records and census listings across Norway. For instance, the Stavanger County archives contain references to individuals with the surname Tingstad residing in the Ryfylke region as early as the 16th century.
Prominent historical figures bearing the Tingstad name include Nils Tingstad (1588-1647), a Norwegian farmer and landowner who played a role in the local administration of Ryfylke during the 17th century. Another notable individual was Ingrid Tingstad (1680-1754), a wealthy landowner and philanthropist from Rogaland, who donated funds for the construction of a church in her local community.
In the 18th century, the name Tingstad started appearing in various locations across Norway, indicating the migration patterns of those bearing the surname. One such example is Hans Tingstad (1724-1802), a farmer from Sunnfjord who later settled in Trondheim.
The 19th century saw the emergence of several Tingstad individuals who gained recognition in various fields. Prominent among them was Ole Tingstad (1835-1912), a Norwegian-American journalist and publisher who founded the influential Norwegian-language newspaper "Skandinaven" in Chicago.
As the name spread beyond Norway's borders, variations in spelling emerged, such as Tingstadd, Tingstadius, and Tingstadius. However, the core meaning and origin of the surname remained rooted in its Norwegian heritage, reflecting the significance of local assembly sites in the country's historical traditions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tingstad
Among Census respondents with the surname Tingstad, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Tingstad 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 Tingstad surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.2% · 108
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tingstad
Tingstad 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
#136,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
+8 bearers (+7.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,520 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-13 bearers (-10.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,997 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,929 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #136,449 | 123 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.0%) | Down 1,520 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -13 bearers (-10.6%) | Down 12,997 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 Tingstad 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 | #136,449 | #149,446 | -9.5% |
| Count | 123 | 110 | -10.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tingstad bearers went from 123 to 110 (-10.6% change). The surname moved down 12,997 positions in the national ranking, going from #136,449 to #149,446.
FAQ
Tingstad surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tingstad?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Tingstad. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Tingstad?
Tingstad ranks #149,446 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 110 people with the surname Tingstad. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), 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 Tingstad.
Has Tingstad become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tingstad went from 123 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 13 (-10.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #136,449 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Tingstad?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tingstad, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%) and Two or More Races (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 Tingstad in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.2% (108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tingstad appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%), Two or More Races (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 Tingstad (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 Tingstad mean?
A Norwegian surname derived from a farmstead name meaning "fenced area" or "enclosed 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 Tingstad (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 Tingstad?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.