2000
#11,329
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,558
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.95
Rare Last name
Wicklund
A Swedish habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "bay grove."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,725 Americans carry the last name Wicklund. That puts it at #12,466 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.79 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 125,781 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wicklund 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
2.7K
1 in 125,781
Census rank
#12,466
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,376 bearers of the surname Wicklund in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.79 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12466th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wicklund, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wicklund
The surname Wicklund is of Scandinavian origin, specifically from Sweden. It is believed to have originated in the late 16th or early 17th century. The name is likely derived from the Old Norse word "vik," meaning a small inlet or bay, combined with "lund," meaning a grove or small wood. Therefore, the name may have referred to a person who lived near a bay or inlet surrounded by a small wooded area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Wicklund can be found in the Swedish church records from the parish of Västra Eneby in Östergötland County, dated back to the mid-17th century. The name appears to have been concentrated in the southern and central regions of Sweden during this time period.
In the late 18th century, a man named Johan Wicklund (1749-1823) became a prominent figure in the Swedish military, serving as a colonel in the Swedish Army during the Napoleonic Wars. His contributions to the defense of Sweden during this turbulent period helped to establish the Wicklund name as one of distinction.
Another notable individual with the surname Wicklund was Anders Wicklund (1801-1871), a Swedish-American author and journalist. Born in Värmland, Sweden, he emigrated to the United States in the mid-19th century and became a prominent voice in the Swedish-American community, publishing several books and articles about the experiences of Swedish immigrants in America.
In the 20th century, Sven Wicklund (1915-1992) was a renowned Swedish architect known for his modernist designs. He was responsible for the construction of several iconic buildings in Stockholm, including the Scandic Malmen Hotel and the Kista Science City complex.
Gunnar Wicklund (1935-2018) was a Swedish-born American football player who played as a defensive tackle for the Green Bay Packers in the National Football League (NFL) from 1960 to 1967. He was part of the Packers team that won the first Super Bowl in 1967.
Variations of the name, such as Wiklund and Viklund, can also be found in historical records from Sweden and other Scandinavian countries, reflecting the regional spellings and pronunciations of the name over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wicklund
Among Census respondents with the surname Wicklund, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Wicklund 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 Wicklund surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.6% · 2,176
- Two or more races4.0% · 94
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 60
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 30
- Black or African American0.5% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wicklund
Wicklund 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
#12,212
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,550
-8 bearers (-0.3%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Down 883 places
2020
#12,466
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,376
-174 bearers (-6.8%)
Per 100,000 0.79
Rank movement Down 254 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,329 | 2,558 | 0.95 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,212 | 2,550 | 0.86 | -8 bearers (-0.3%) | Down 883 places |
| 2020 | #12,466 | 2,376 | 0.79 | -174 bearers (-6.8%) | Down 254 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 Wicklund 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 | #12,212 | #12,466 | -2.1% |
| Count | 2,550 | 2,376 | -6.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.86 | 0.79 | -7.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wicklund bearers went from 2,550 to 2,376 (-6.8% change). The surname moved down 254 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,212 to #12,466.
FAQ
Wicklund surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wicklund?
Name Census estimates that about 2,725 living Americans carry the surname Wicklund. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 125,781 residents.
How common is Wicklund?
Wicklund ranks #12,466 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.79 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 2,376 people with the surname Wicklund. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,725), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.79 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.79 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 Wicklund.
Has Wicklund become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wicklund went from 2,550 recorded bearers to 2,376. That is a decrease of 174 (-6.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,212 to #12,466.
What does the Census say about the background of Wicklund?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wicklund, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Wicklund in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (2,176 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wicklund appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.6%), Two or More Races (4.0%), Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Wicklund (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 Wicklund mean?
A Swedish habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "bay grove." 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 Wicklund (0.79 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 common is the surname Wicklund?
See how many people have the surname Wicklund on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.