2000
#12,261
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,327
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.86
Rare Last name
Westlund
A Swedish topographic surname referring to someone living to the west of a grove or small wood.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,571 Americans carry the last name Westlund. That puts it at #13,078 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.75 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 133,316 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Westlund 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
2.6K
1 in 133,316
Census rank
#13,078
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,242 bearers of the surname Westlund in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.75 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13078th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Westlund, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Westlund
Among Census respondents with the surname Westlund, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Westlund 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 Westlund surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.3% · 2,047
- Two or more races3.4% · 76
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 67
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 22
- Black or African American0.7% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Westlund
Westlund 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
#12,732
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,424
+97 bearers (+4.2%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Down 471 places
2020
#13,078
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,242
-182 bearers (-7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Down 346 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,261 | 2,327 | 0.86 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,732 | 2,424 | 0.82 | +97 bearers (+4.2%) | Down 471 places |
| 2020 | #13,078 | 2,242 | 0.75 | -182 bearers (-7.5%) | Down 346 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 Westlund 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 | #12,732 | #13,078 | -2.7% |
| Count | 2,424 | 2,242 | -7.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.82 | 0.75 | -8.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Westlund bearers went from 2,424 to 2,242 (-7.5% change). The surname moved down 346 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,732 to #13,078.
FAQ
Westlund surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Westlund?
Name Census estimates that about 2,571 living Americans carry the surname Westlund. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 133,316 residents.
How common is Westlund?
Westlund ranks #13,078 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.75 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,242 people with the surname Westlund. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,571), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.75 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.75 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Westlund.
Has Westlund become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Westlund went from 2,424 recorded bearers to 2,242. That is a decrease of 182 (-7.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,732 to #13,078.
What does the Census say about the background of Westlund?
Among Census respondents with the surname Westlund, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Westlund in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (2,047 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Westlund appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.3%), Two or More Races (3.4%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Westlund (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 Westlund mean?
A Swedish topographic surname referring to someone living to the west of a grove or small wood. 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 Westlund (0.75 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 Westlund?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.