2010
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Wenstad
From a Norwegian farm meaning "friend's homestead".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Wenstad. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wenstad 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Wenstad in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wenstad, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wenstad
The surname WENSTAD is of Norwegian origin, originating in the late medieval period around the 14th or 15th century. It is believed to have derived from a place name or farm name, which was a common practice during that era. The name likely combines the Old Norse elements "venn," meaning friend or ally, and "stadr," meaning place or homestead.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name WENSTAD can be found in the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, a collection of medieval Norwegian diplomas and documents dating back to the 12th century. The name appears in a document from the year 1412, referring to a landowner named Thorvald Wenstad in the region of Vestfold.
In the 16th century, the WENSTAD name was documented in the Jordebøker, which were land registry books maintained by local authorities in Norway. These records show that the name was particularly prevalent in the eastern regions of the country, such as Østfold and Akershus.
A notable figure bearing the WENSTAD name was Nils Wenstad, a Norwegian farmer and landowner who lived in the late 17th century. He was known for his extensive landholdings and his role in local governance.
Another individual of significance was Ingrid Wenstad, a Norwegian scholar and educator who lived from 1825 to 1901. She was one of the first women in Norway to receive a higher education and played a pivotal role in promoting women's rights and education.
In the 19th century, the WENSTAD name appeared in various Norwegian census records and church registers, indicating its continued presence in the country. One such record from 1865 mentions a family with the surname WENSTAD residing in the town of Halden, located in the county of Østfold.
The name WENSTAD can be traced back to several place names and farm names in Norway, such as Venstad and Vennstad. These names likely originated from the same linguistic roots as the surname and may have influenced its formation.
Over the centuries, the WENSTAD name has been subject to various spelling variations, including Venstad, Vennstad, and Wennstad. These variations reflect the regional dialects and linguistic changes that occurred over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wenstad
Among Census respondents with the surname Wenstad, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Wenstad 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 Wenstad surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.3% · 96
- Two or more races11.8% · 13
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wenstad
Wenstad appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
+9 bearers (+8.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 10,266 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+8.9%) | Up 10,266 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 Wenstad 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 | #159,712 | #149,446 | 6.4% |
| Count | 101 | 110 | 8.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 22.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wenstad bearers went from 101 to 110 (+8.9% change). The surname moved up 10,266 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #149,446.
FAQ
Wenstad surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wenstad?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Wenstad. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Wenstad?
Wenstad ranks #149,446 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 110 people with the surname Wenstad. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), 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 Wenstad.
Has Wenstad become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wenstad went from 101 recorded bearers to 110. That is an increase of 9 (+8.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Wenstad?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wenstad, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Wenstad in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.3% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wenstad appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.3%), Two or More Races (11.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Wenstad (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 Wenstad mean?
From a Norwegian farm meaning "friend's homestead". 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 Wenstad (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 Wenstad?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.