2000
#137,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Tornblom
A Swedish surname derived from a place name containing elements related to thorns or brambles.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Tornblom. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tornblom 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Tornblom in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tornblom, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.5%. The next largest groups are Black (1.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tornblom
The surname Tornblom is of Swedish origin and can be traced back to the 17th century. It is derived from the Swedish words "torn" meaning "thorn" and "blom" meaning "flower". The name likely originated as a descriptive nickname for someone who lived near a thorn bush or a location known for its thorny flowers.
Tornblom first appeared in historical records in the early 1600s in the region of Småland, a province in southern Sweden. One of the earliest documented instances of the name is from a parish record in Växjö, dating back to 1637, which mentions a man named Anders Tornblom.
The name Tornblom has also been found in various Swedish census records and tax rolls from the 17th and 18th centuries, indicating its presence in different parts of the country. In some cases, it was spelled with slight variations, such as "Tornblohm" or "Tornblom".
One notable figure with the surname Tornblom was Johan Tornblom, a Swedish politician who served as a member of the Riksdag (Swedish Parliament) in the late 19th century. He was born in 1842 and played a role in the liberal reform movements of his time.
Another historical figure with this surname was Carl Tornblom, a Swedish painter and illustrator who lived from 1855 to 1930. He is known for his landscapes and depictions of rural life in Sweden.
In the realm of literature, the author Signe Tornblom (1872-1947) gained recognition for her novels and short stories, which often explored the lives of ordinary people in rural Sweden.
A notable military figure was Carl Johan Tornblom (1815-1895), a Swedish Army officer who served in the Scanian Cavalry Regiment and participated in the Prussian-Danish War of 1864.
Lastly, the composer and organist Gustaf Tornblom (1832-1901) made significant contributions to Swedish church music in the 19th century, composing numerous works for organ and choir.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tornblom
Among Census respondents with the surname Tornblom, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.5%. The next largest groups are Black (1.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Tornblom 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 Tornblom surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.5% · 109
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tornblom
Tornblom 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
#134,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
+13 bearers (+11.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,104 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-12 bearers (-9.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,509 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #137,816 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #134,712 | 125 | 0.04 | +13 bearers (+11.6%) | Up 3,104 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | -12 bearers (-9.6%) | Down 12,509 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 Tornblom 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 | #134,712 | #147,221 | -9.3% |
| Count | 125 | 113 | -9.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tornblom bearers went from 125 to 113 (-9.6% change). The surname moved down 12,509 positions in the national ranking, going from #134,712 to #147,221.
FAQ
Tornblom surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tornblom?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Tornblom. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Tornblom?
Tornblom ranks #147,221 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 113 people with the surname Tornblom. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), 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 Tornblom.
Has Tornblom become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tornblom went from 125 recorded bearers to 113. That is a decrease of 12 (-9.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #134,712 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Tornblom?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tornblom, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.5%. The next largest groups are Black (1.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (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 Tornblom in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.5% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tornblom appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.5%), Black (1.8%), American Indian/Alaska Native (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 Tornblom (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 Tornblom mean?
A Swedish surname derived from a place name containing elements related to thorns or brambles. 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 Tornblom (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 have the last name Tornblom?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Tornblom, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.