Find out how popular the last name Ulstad is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Ulstad.

Ulstad, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Ulstad surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ulstad in America

Ulstad is the 98982nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ulstad surname appeared 183 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Ulstad.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ulstad to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Ulstad

The surname ULSTAD originated in Norway during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old Norse words "Ullr" which means "wool" and "stadr" meaning "place" or "farm". The name likely referred to a homestead or settlement where wool production or sheep farming was a prominent activity.

ULSTAD is believed to have first appeared in written records during the 13th century, though the earliest known reference is found in the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, a collection of Norwegian medieval documents dating back to 1276, where a man named Olaf Ulstadsson is mentioned.

The name can be traced back to the Oppland region of Norway, particularly the areas around the present-day municipalities of Gausdal and Øyer. Historical records show that the name was widespread in these areas during the Middle Ages and the early modern period.

In the late 16th century, a man named Halvor Ulstad (born around 1565) was recorded as a prominent landowner and farmer in the village of Gausdal. His descendants continued to use the surname ULSTAD in the region for several generations.

Another notable figure with the surname ULSTAD was Nils Ulstad (1796-1874), a Norwegian politician and farmer who served as a member of the Storting (Norwegian parliament) from 1833 to 1836, representing the county of Oppland.

During the 19th century, the surname ULSTAD began to spread beyond its traditional homeland in Oppland as people migrated to other parts of Norway and overseas. One prominent individual from this period was Hans Ulstad (1835-1912), a Norwegian-American immigrant who settled in Minnesota, United States, and became a successful businessman and community leader.

In more recent history, the name ULSTAD has been associated with several notable individuals, including Ivar Ulstad (1887-1966), a Norwegian architect known for designing several churches and public buildings in Oslo, and Rolf Ulstad (born 1940), a Norwegian cross-country skier who won a gold medal at the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France.

While the surname ULSTAD is still relatively uncommon outside of Norway, it has a rich history and heritage that can be traced back to the medieval period and the wool-producing regions of central Norway.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ulstad

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Ulstad.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Ulstad was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Ulstad has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Ulstad was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Ulstad, please contact us.

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