2000
#140,756
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Trogstad
A locational surname potentially derived from a Norwegian farm name containing the Old Norse elements "trog" meaning trough or wooden container and "stad" meaning place.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Trogstad. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Trogstad 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Trogstad in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Trogstad, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Trogstad
The surname TROGSTAD has its origins in Norway, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old Norse words "trog," meaning a trough or valley, and "stadr," referring to a place or location. This suggests that the name was initially associated with individuals residing in or near a particular valley or troughed area.
During the Middle Ages, Norwegian surnames often reflected the geographical features or characteristics of the places where families resided. The TROGSTAD name likely emerged from this naming tradition, indicating that the earliest bearers of this surname lived in a specific valley or trough-like area.
One of the earliest known references to the TROGSTAD name can be found in the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, a collection of medieval Norwegian documents and records. An entry from 1523 mentions a "Tord Trogstad," suggesting the name's existence during that period.
In the 17th century, the TROGSTAD surname appeared in the parish records of Voss, a municipality in western Norway. One notable individual from this era was Olav Trogstad, born in 1642, who was a prominent farmer and landowner in the region.
As Norway experienced significant emigration to North America in the 19th century, many individuals bearing the TROGSTAD surname settled in various parts of the United States and Canada. One such individual was Knut Trogstad, born in 1825, who emigrated to Wisconsin in the late 1860s and became a respected member of the local Norwegian-American community.
Another notable figure with this surname was Ingrid Trogstad (1890-1972), a Norwegian educator and women's rights activist. She played a crucial role in establishing educational opportunities for women in Norway during the early 20th century.
In more recent times, the TROGSTAD name has been associated with various fields, including academia, business, and the arts. For instance, Lars Trogstad (1928-2012) was a renowned Norwegian artist known for his abstract expressionist paintings and sculptures.
While the TROGSTAD surname may have originated from a specific geographical location in Norway, its bearers have since dispersed across the globe, contributing to various aspects of society and culture throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Trogstad
Among Census respondents with the surname Trogstad, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Trogstad 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 Trogstad surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.4% · 102
- Two or more races3.7% · 4
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Trogstad
Trogstad 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
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+9 bearers (+8.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 384 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-10 bearers (-8.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,795 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #140,756 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+8.3%) | Down 384 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-8.5%) | Down 9,795 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 Trogstad 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 | #141,140 | #150,935 | -6.9% |
| Count | 118 | 108 | -8.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Trogstad bearers went from 118 to 108 (-8.5% change). The surname moved down 9,795 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #150,935.
FAQ
Trogstad surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Trogstad?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Trogstad. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Trogstad?
Trogstad ranks #150,935 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 108 people with the surname Trogstad. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), 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 Trogstad.
Has Trogstad become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Trogstad went from 118 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 10 (-8.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Trogstad?
Among Census respondents with the surname Trogstad, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Black (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 Trogstad in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.4% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Trogstad appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.4%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Black (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 Trogstad (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 Trogstad mean?
A locational surname potentially derived from a Norwegian farm name containing the Old Norse elements "trog" meaning trough or wooden container and "stad" meaning place. 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 Trogstad (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 surname Trogstad?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.