2000
#124,109
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Tollakson
A surname of Scandinavian origin, possibly related to the Norwegian word "toll" meaning "tax" or "duty."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Tollakson. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tollakson 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Tollakson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tollakson, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tollakson
The surname Tollakson has its origins in the Scandinavian countries, particularly Norway and Sweden. It likely emerged during the medieval period, between the 11th and 15th centuries. The name is believed to be derived from the Old Norse personal name "Tollakr," which itself is a compound of the elements "toll" meaning "tax" or "toll" and "akr" meaning "field" or "acre."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Tollakson surname can be found in the Danish Census of 1787, where a family by the name of Tollaxon is listed as residing in the town of Odense. This spelling variation likely arose due to regional dialect differences and the phonetic transcription of the name by census takers.
In the late 13th century, a Nils Tollakson is mentioned in the Icelandic Sagas as a prominent landowner and chieftain in the region of Hordaland, Norway. This suggests that the name was already well-established in Scandinavia by that time.
During the 16th century, a man named Olav Tollakson is recorded as having been a merchant and ship owner in the coastal town of Trondheim, Norway. His trade activities and voyages are documented in several port records and ship manifests from that era.
In the 17th century, a Swedish military officer named Erik Tollakson served in the armies of King Gustav II Adolf during the Thirty Years' War. His name is mentioned in several historical accounts of the campaigns and battles he participated in.
The 19th century saw the emergence of a prominent Norwegian painter named Hans Tollakson, whose works depicted scenes of rural life and landscapes from his native country. He was born in 1825 and died in 1901, and his paintings are still exhibited in several art museums across Norway.
Another notable figure with the Tollakson surname was Anna Tollakson, a Danish novelist and playwright who lived from 1845 to 1918. Her works often explored themes of social commentary and the role of women in society during that time period.
While the Tollakson name has its roots in Scandinavia, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and immigration. However, its historical significance and connections to the Norse culture and language remain an integral part of its heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tollakson
Among Census respondents with the surname Tollakson, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Tollakson 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 Tollakson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.5% · 117
- Two or more races2.5% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tollakson
Tollakson 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
#126,765
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 135
+7 bearers (+5.5%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 2,656 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-15 bearers (-11.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,284 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,109 | 128 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #126,765 | 135 | 0.05 | +7 bearers (+5.5%) | Down 2,656 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | -15 bearers (-11.1%) | Down 15,284 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 Tollakson 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 | #126,765 | #142,049 | -12.1% |
| Count | 135 | 120 | -11.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -19.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tollakson bearers went from 135 to 120 (-11.1% change). The surname moved down 15,284 positions in the national ranking, going from #126,765 to #142,049.
FAQ
Tollakson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tollakson?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Tollakson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Tollakson?
Tollakson ranks #142,049 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 120 people with the surname Tollakson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), 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 Tollakson.
Has Tollakson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tollakson went from 135 recorded bearers to 120. That is a decrease of 15 (-11.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #126,765 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Tollakson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tollakson, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Tollakson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.5% (117 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tollakson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.5%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Tollakson (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 Tollakson mean?
A surname of Scandinavian origin, possibly related to the Norwegian word "toll" meaning "tax" or "duty." 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 Tollakson (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 are called Tollakson?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Tollakson on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.