2000
#98,770
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 170
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Ulvestad
A Norwegian surname meaning "wolf settlement" or "place of wolves".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 206 Americans carry the last name Ulvestad. That puts it at #105,671 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,663,856 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ulvestad 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
206
1 in 1,663,856
Census rank
#105,671
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
180
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 180 bearers of the surname Ulvestad in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 105671st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ulvestad, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.7%. The next largest groups are Black (1.1%) and Hispanic (0.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ulvestad
The surname Ulvestad has its origins in Norway, where it first appeared in the 16th century. It is derived from the Old Norse words "ulfr" meaning wolf and "stadr" meaning place or homestead, essentially translating to "wolf homestead" or "homestead of the wolves."
This surname likely originated in the rugged and forested regions of western Norway, where wolves once roamed freely. It may have been given as a descriptive name for someone who lived near an area known for wolf populations or perhaps as a nickname for a particularly fierce or wolf-like individual.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ulvestad can be found in the Parish Registers of Stavanger, Norway, from the late 1500s. These records document the birth and baptism of a child named Gunnar Ulvestad in the year 1587.
In the 17th century, the name appears in various legal documents and land records from the region around Haugesund, Norway. A farmer named Nils Ulvestad is mentioned in a deed from 1632, indicating that the name was associated with landowners and the agricultural communities of that era.
During the 19th century, several notable individuals bore the Ulvestad surname. One such person was Arne Ulvestad (1815-1891), a Norwegian historian and author who wrote extensively about the cultural heritage and folklore of western Norway.
Another prominent figure was Ingrid Ulvestad (1854-1932), a pioneering educator and advocate for women's rights. She established one of the first schools for girls in Stavanger and fought for equal educational opportunities for women in Norway.
In the realm of literature, the writer and poet Kristian Ulvestad (1878-1952) gained recognition for his works exploring themes of rural life and the natural beauty of the Norwegian landscape.
While the name Ulvestad is not among the most common surnames in Norway today, it has endured as a part of the country's cultural heritage, reflecting the connection between the people and the rugged, wolf-inhabited landscapes of their ancestors.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ulvestad
Among Census respondents with the surname Ulvestad, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.7%. The next largest groups are Black (1.1%) and Hispanic (0.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Ulvestad 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 Ulvestad surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.7% · 174
- Black or African American1.1% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.6% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 1
- Two or more races0.6% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ulvestad
Ulvestad 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
#91,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 202
+32 bearers (+18.8%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Up 7,549 places
2020
#105,671
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 180
-22 bearers (-10.9%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 14,450 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #98,770 | 170 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #91,221 | 202 | 0.07 | +32 bearers (+18.8%) | Up 7,549 places |
| 2020 | #105,671 | 180 | 0.06 | -22 bearers (-10.9%) | Down 14,450 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 Ulvestad 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 | #91,221 | #105,671 | -15.8% |
| Count | 202 | 180 | -10.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.06 | -14.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ulvestad bearers went from 202 to 180 (-10.9% change). The surname moved down 14,450 positions in the national ranking, going from #91,221 to #105,671.
FAQ
Ulvestad surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ulvestad?
Name Census estimates that about 206 living Americans carry the surname Ulvestad. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,663,856 residents.
How common is Ulvestad?
Ulvestad ranks #105,671 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 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 180 people with the surname Ulvestad. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (206), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 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 Ulvestad.
Has Ulvestad become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ulvestad went from 202 recorded bearers to 180. That is a decrease of 22 (-10.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #91,221 to #105,671.
What does the Census say about the background of Ulvestad?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ulvestad, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.7%. The next largest groups are Black (1.1%) and Hispanic (0.6%). 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 Ulvestad in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.7% (174 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ulvestad appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.7%), Black (1.1%), Hispanic (0.6%). 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 Ulvestad (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 Ulvestad mean?
A Norwegian surname meaning "wolf settlement" or "place of wolves". 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 Ulvestad (0.06 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 Americans have the surname Ulvestad?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.