2000
#132,259
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Vestrand
A surname derived from a Norwegian place name indicating origin from a location.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Vestrand. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vestrand 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Vestrand in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vestrand, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.5%) and Black (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vestrand
The surname Vestrand is believed to have originated from Norway during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old Norse words "vestr" meaning "west" and "rand" meaning "edge" or "border." This suggests that the name may have referred to someone who lived near the western edge or border of a particular region or settlement.
The earliest known record of the name Vestrand dates back to the 13th century, where it appears in an old Norwegian manuscript from the region of Vestlandet (Western Norway). The name is also found in various medieval records and documents from other parts of Norway, indicating that it was not confined to a specific location.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Vestrand was Olav Vestrand, a Norwegian farmer who lived in the 14th century in the village of Vestnes, near the town of Ålesund. Another notable figure was Ingrid Vestrand, a Norwegian noblewoman born in 1437, who was married to a prominent landowner in the Oppland region.
In the 16th century, the name Vestrand appears in a historical document from the town of Stavanger, where a man named Bjørn Vestrand was recorded as a member of the local council. During this time, the spelling of the name varied slightly, with some records showing it as "Vestrand" and others as "Vetstrand" or "Vestrandh."
One of the most famous individuals with the surname Vestrand was Nils Vestrand, a Norwegian explorer and navigator who lived from 1589 to 1652. He was known for his voyages to the Arctic regions and is credited with discovering several islands in the Svalbard archipelago.
Another notable figure was Ingrid Vestrand (1674-1735), a Norwegian poet and writer who gained recognition for her works in the 18th century. Her collection of poems, titled "Vestrandske Digte," was widely acclaimed and helped to establish her reputation as one of the leading literary figures of her time.
It is worth mentioning that the surname Vestrand, while relatively uncommon, can still be found in various parts of Norway today, particularly in the western regions of the country. However, it is important to note that this report focuses solely on the historical and etymological aspects of the surname and does not include any recent census data or modern references.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vestrand
Among Census respondents with the surname Vestrand, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.5%) and Black (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Vestrand 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 Vestrand surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.7% · 96
- Two or more races6.5% · 7
- Black or African American1.9% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vestrand
Vestrand 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
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-6 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,994 places
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-5 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,386 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #132,259 | 118 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 14,994 places |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 4,386 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 Vestrand 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 | #147,253 | #151,639 | -3.0% |
| Count | 112 | 107 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vestrand bearers went from 112 to 107 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 4,386 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #151,639.
FAQ
Vestrand surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vestrand?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Vestrand. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Vestrand?
Vestrand ranks #151,639 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 107 people with the surname Vestrand. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), 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 Vestrand.
Has Vestrand become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vestrand went from 112 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #147,253 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Vestrand?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vestrand, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.5%) and Black (1.9%). 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 Vestrand in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vestrand appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.7%), Two or More Races (6.5%), Black (1.9%). 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 Vestrand (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 Vestrand mean?
A surname derived from a Norwegian place name indicating origin from a location. 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 Vestrand (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 Vestrand?
Find out how common the surname Vestrand is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.