2000
#23,863
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 988
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.37
Rare Last name
Wahlberg
A Swedish surname derived from a vocabulary word meaning "walled pasture" or "protected meadow".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,241 Americans carry the last name Wahlberg. That puts it at #24,125 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.36 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 276,192 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wahlberg 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
1.2K
1 in 276,192
Census rank
#24,125
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,082 bearers of the surname Wahlberg in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.36 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 24125th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wahlberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wahlberg
The surname Wahlberg has its origins in Sweden, where it first emerged during the 16th century. The name is derived from the Old Swedish word "vahlberg," which translates to "meadow hill" or "pasture hill." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname may have lived near or owned land situated on a grassy or meadow-covered hill.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Wahlberg name can be found in the Swedish Census Rolls of 1540, where a man named Olof Wahlberg was listed as a resident of Malmö. Another early record dates back to 1612, mentioning a Nils Wahlberg from the parish of Östra Husby in Östergötland County.
During the 17th century, the Wahlberg surname began to appear more frequently in various Swedish parish records and historical documents. Notable individuals from this period include Johan Wahlberg (1642-1708), a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of Stockholm, and Anna Wahlberg (1675-1743), a respected midwife and herbalist from Värmland County.
As the name spread throughout Sweden, it also began to appear in various forms and spellings, such as Wahlbergh, Wåhlberg, and Våhlberg. These variations likely stemmed from regional dialects and local pronunciations, as well as clerical errors in record-keeping.
In the 19th century, the Wahlberg name gained international recognition through the exploits of Johan August Wahlberg (1810-1856), a Swedish naturalist and explorer who extensively studied the flora and fauna of South Africa. His contributions to the field of natural history were significant, and several species of birds and plants were named in his honor.
Another notable figure from this period was Gustaf Wahlberg (1818-1900), a Swedish-American businessman and industrialist who founded the Wahlberg Manufacturing Company in Chicago. His company was a leading producer of agricultural machinery and played a crucial role in the development of the American Midwest.
As time progressed, the Wahlberg surname continued to be carried by individuals of Swedish descent, both within Sweden and among those who emigrated to other parts of the world, particularly the United States and Canada.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wahlberg
Among Census respondents with the surname Wahlberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Wahlberg 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 Wahlberg surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.4% · 978
- Two or more races3.6% · 39
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 36
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.0% · 22
- Black or African American0.5% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wahlberg
Wahlberg 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
#23,675
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,070
+82 bearers (+8.3%)
Per 100,000 0.36
Rank movement Up 188 places
2020
#24,125
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,082
+12 bearers (+1.1%)
Per 100,000 0.36
Rank movement Down 450 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #23,863 | 988 | 0.37 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #23,675 | 1,070 | 0.36 | +82 bearers (+8.3%) | Up 188 places |
| 2020 | #24,125 | 1,082 | 0.36 | +12 bearers (+1.1%) | Down 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 Wahlberg 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 | #23,675 | #24,125 | -1.9% |
| Count | 1,070 | 1,082 | 1.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.36 | 0.36 | 0.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wahlberg bearers went from 1,070 to 1,082 (+1.1% change). The surname moved down 450 positions in the national ranking, going from #23,675 to #24,125.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Wahlberg
FAQ
Wahlberg surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wahlberg?
Name Census estimates that about 1,241 living Americans carry the surname Wahlberg. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 276,192 residents.
How common is Wahlberg?
Wahlberg ranks #24,125 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.36 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 1,082 people with the surname Wahlberg. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,241), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.36 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.36 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 Wahlberg.
Has Wahlberg become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wahlberg went from 1,070 recorded bearers to 1,082. That is an increase of 12 (+1.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #23,675 to #24,125.
What does the Census say about the background of Wahlberg?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wahlberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Wahlberg in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.4% (978 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wahlberg appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.4%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Wahlberg (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 Wahlberg mean?
A Swedish surname derived from a vocabulary word meaning "walled pasture" or "protected meadow". 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 Wahlberg (0.36 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 share the surname Wahlberg?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.