2000
#139,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Wetterstrom
A Swedish surname meaning "stream among wetlands".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Wetterstrom. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wetterstrom 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Wetterstrom in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wetterstrom, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wetterstrom
The surname Wetterstrom is of Swedish origin, derived from the Old Swedish words "väder" meaning "weather" and "ström" meaning "stream" or "current." It likely originated in the medieval period, referring to someone who lived near a stream or river that was affected by weather patterns.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Wetterstrom can be found in the Swedish parish records from the 16th century. The name appears to have been concentrated in the central and southern regions of Sweden, particularly in the provinces of Småland and Östergötland.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Wetterstrom name gained prominence in Sweden. Notable individuals from this period include Johan Wetterstrom (1643-1718), a Swedish military officer who served in the Scanian War, and Anna Wetterstrom (1692-1756), a Swedish writer and poet known for her religious works.
In the 19th century, the Wetterstrom family migrated to other parts of the world, including the United States and Canada. One notable figure from this period was Carl Johan Wetterstrom (1826-1897), a Swedish-American civil engineer who worked on the construction of several railroads in the American Midwest.
Another prominent individual with the Wetterstrom surname was Gustaf Wetterstrom (1855-1927), a Swedish-American politician who served as a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives and the Minnesota Senate in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
In more recent times, the name Wetterstrom has been carried by individuals such as Olof Wetterstrom (1908-1992), a Swedish botanist and professor known for his work in plant ecology, and Karin Wetterstrom (born 1944), a Swedish journalist and author who has written several books on topics related to health and wellness.
While the surname Wetterstrom is relatively uncommon, it has a rich history rooted in Swedish culture and geography, with bearers of the name leaving their mark in various fields, including military, literature, engineering, politics, and academia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wetterstrom
Among Census respondents with the surname Wetterstrom, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Wetterstrom 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 Wetterstrom surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.3% · 95
- Hispanic or Latino5.8% · 6
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wetterstrom
Wetterstrom 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
#135,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
+14 bearers (+12.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,164 places
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-20 bearers (-16.1%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 17,997 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #139,757 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #135,593 | 124 | 0.04 | +14 bearers (+12.7%) | Up 4,164 places |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | -20 bearers (-16.1%) | Down 17,997 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 Wetterstrom 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 | #135,593 | #153,590 | -13.3% |
| Count | 124 | 104 | -16.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wetterstrom bearers went from 124 to 104 (-16.1% change). The surname moved down 17,997 positions in the national ranking, going from #135,593 to #153,590.
FAQ
Wetterstrom surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wetterstrom?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Wetterstrom. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Wetterstrom?
Wetterstrom ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 104 people with the surname Wetterstrom. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Wetterstrom.
Has Wetterstrom become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wetterstrom went from 124 recorded bearers to 104. That is a decrease of 20 (-16.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #135,593 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Wetterstrom?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wetterstrom, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Two or More Races (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 Wetterstrom in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wetterstrom appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.3%), Hispanic (5.8%), Two or More Races (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 Wetterstrom (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 Wetterstrom mean?
A Swedish surname meaning "stream among wetlands". 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 Wetterstrom (0.03 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 Wetterstrom?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.