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

Westlund, 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 Westlund surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Westlund in America

Westlund is the 12732nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Westlund surname appeared 2,424 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Westlund.

We can also compare 2010 data for Westlund 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 Westlund

The surname Westlund originates from Sweden, where it first emerged in the 16th century. It is a topographic name, derived from the Old Swedish words "väster" meaning "west" and "lund" meaning "grove" or "meadow." The name likely referred to someone who lived in a westerly located grove or meadow.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Swedish church records from the parish of Östra Husby in Östergötland, where a man named Lars Westlund was mentioned in 1594. Another early record comes from the parish of Blacksta in Södermanland, where a man named Nils Westlund was recorded in 1612.

The name Westlund was also found in the Älvsborg County census records from the late 17th century, with several families bearing this surname residing in the parishes of Fröjered and Gällinge. One notable individual from this area was Börje Westlund, born in 1678, who served as a soldier in the Swedish Army during the Great Northern War.

In the 19th century, the Westlund name gained prominence in the literary world with the birth of Swedish author and poet Carl Westlund (1826-1892). Westlund was a prominent figure in the Swedish romantic movement and is particularly known for his poetry collection "Sånger och Dikter" (Songs and Poems), published in 1860.

Another notable individual with the Westlund surname was Axel Westlund (1876-1961), a Swedish businessman and industrialist who founded the Westlund Engineering Company in 1901. The company played a significant role in the development of Sweden's steel industry during the early 20th century.

In more recent times, the name Westlund has been associated with Swedish politicians, such as Karin Westlund (born 1962), a member of the Swedish Parliament representing the Social Democratic Party, and Sven-Erik Westlund (1944-2008), a former leader of the Swedish Christian Democratic Party.

While the Westlund surname is predominantly found in Sweden, it has also spread to other parts of the world through emigration, particularly to North America and Australia. However, its origins can be traced back to the Swedish provinces of Östergötland, Södermanland, and Älvsborg County, where it first emerged as a topographic name referring to those residing in westerly located groves or meadows.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Westlund

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

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 Westlund 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 Westlund 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 Westlund was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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