2000
#12,642
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,246
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.83
Rare Last name
Wickstrom
A Swedish toponymic surname derived from the place name Vikström, meaning "bay stream."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,279 Americans carry the last name Wickstrom. That puts it at #14,451 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 150,397 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wickstrom 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
2.3K
1 in 150,397
Census rank
#14,451
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,987 bearers of the surname Wickstrom in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14451st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wickstrom, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wickstrom
The surname Wickstrom has its origins in Scandinavia, specifically Sweden. It is believed to have derived from the Old Swedish words "vik," meaning bay or inlet, and "ström," meaning stream or current. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a bay or inlet with a strong current.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Wickstrom can be found in the Swedish Census Rolls from the late 16th century, where it appeared as "Wickström." This spelling variation was common in those times due to the lack of standardized spellings.
In the 17th century, a notable figure named Johan Wickstrom (1632-1701) was a renowned theologian and professor at Uppsala University in Sweden. He played a significant role in shaping the religious discourse of his time.
The name Wickstrom has also been associated with various place names in Sweden, such as Wickström, a small village in the municipality of Kalix. This village likely took its name from the nearby bay and stream that bear the same name.
Another historical figure of note is Carl Wickstrom (1789-1856), a Swedish merchant and explorer who was one of the first Europeans to establish trade relations with the Hawaiian Islands in the early 19th century.
In the 19th century, the name Wickstrom began to appear more frequently in the United States, as Swedish immigrants arrived in the country. One such individual was Peter Wickstrom (1844-1912), a Swedish-American farmer and businessman who settled in Minnesota and played a role in the development of the local community.
Another notable bearer of the name was Anna Wickstrom (1868-1941), a Swedish-American journalist and activist who campaigned for women's suffrage and labor rights in the early 20th century.
During the 20th century, the name Wickstrom continued to be associated with individuals of Swedish descent, such as Kristina Wickstrom (1923-2018), a Swedish author and poet who received numerous literary awards for her work.
These are just a few examples of the rich history and notable individuals associated with the surname Wickstrom, which has its roots in the Scandinavian region and has since spread across the globe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wickstrom
Among Census respondents with the surname Wickstrom, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Wickstrom 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 Wickstrom surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.8% · 1,825
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 64
- Two or more races3.2% · 63
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 17
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 14
- Black or African American0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wickstrom
Wickstrom 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
#13,795
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,192
-54 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Down 1,153 places
2020
#14,451
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,987
-205 bearers (-9.4%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Down 656 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,642 | 2,246 | 0.83 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,795 | 2,192 | 0.74 | -54 bearers (-2.4%) | Down 1,153 places |
| 2020 | #14,451 | 1,987 | 0.66 | -205 bearers (-9.4%) | Down 656 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 Wickstrom 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 | #13,795 | #14,451 | -4.8% |
| Count | 2,192 | 1,987 | -9.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.74 | 0.66 | -10.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wickstrom bearers went from 2,192 to 1,987 (-9.4% change). The surname moved down 656 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,795 to #14,451.
FAQ
Wickstrom surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wickstrom?
Name Census estimates that about 2,279 living Americans carry the surname Wickstrom. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 150,397 residents.
How common is Wickstrom?
Wickstrom ranks #14,451 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.66 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 1,987 people with the surname Wickstrom. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,279), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.66 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.66 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 Wickstrom.
Has Wickstrom become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wickstrom went from 2,192 recorded bearers to 1,987. That is a decrease of 205 (-9.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,795 to #14,451.
What does the Census say about the background of Wickstrom?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wickstrom, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Wickstrom in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (1,825 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wickstrom appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.8%), Hispanic (3.2%), Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Wickstrom (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 Wickstrom mean?
A Swedish toponymic surname derived from the place name Vikström, meaning "bay stream." 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 Wickstrom (0.66 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 are called Wickstrom?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Wickstrom, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.