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

Wrolson, 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 Wrolson surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wrolson in America

Wrolson is the 132206th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wrolson surname appeared 128 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Wrolson.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wrolson 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 Wrolson

The surname Wrolson likely originates from Scandinavian countries, such as Norway or Denmark, during the medieval period. The name appears to be patronymic in nature, implying it was derived from the name of an ancestor, specifically a patron, or father. In this case, the suffix "son" indicates "son of," which was commonly used in Scandinavian naming conventions to denote lineage. The root "Wrol" could derive from a now archaic first name or could be evolved from a region-specific dialect of that era.

The earliest historical references to similar surnames can be found in various medieval Norwegian parish records and Danish census documents dating back to the 1500s. Surnames containing similar phonetics include Wrolfsen and Wrølfsen, which were used to mark the descendants of individuals named Wrolf or Wyrolf, a name meaning 'wolf' in Old Norse. The linking sound change from "f" to "s" at the end of the patronymic further solidifies the transformation over time, adapting to linguistic shifts.

Historical records do not widely present Wrolson independently, making its direct tracing difficult. One of the earlier recorded instances of this surname appears in the 1625 ecclesiastical documents from the Church of Norway, where Magnus Wrolson is mentioned. He held land in Nordland and played a notable role in regional trade and politics at the time.

By the late 17th century, another prominent individual named Erik Wrolson emerges in records from Copenhagen, Denmark. Erik was a merchant whose standing in the community rose through his involvement in maritime trade routes connecting Scandinavia to the British Isles.

Moving into the 18th century, Jens Wrolson is noted in the Danish military archives, born in 1732 and serving as an officer in the Danish-Norwegian Navy. His military career and involvement in naval battles during the late 18th century made him a well-documented figure.

A notable 19th-century reference includes Sigrid Wrolson, born in 1821, who was one of the early settlers in the United States, emigrating from Norway to Wisconsin. Her life is documented in migration papers and land grants, highlighting her role in pioneering Norwegian-American communities.

Lastly, within early 20th-century records, we find Olaf Wrolson, born in 1889 in Norway, who was a noted cultural historian and author. His contributions to preserving Norwegian folklore through his writings were well-regarded, and several of his comprehensive collections of folk tales remain influential in Scandinavian studies.

These historical instances illustrate the gradual but consistent presence of the surname Wrolson, underlining its deep roots in Scandinavian heritage and its evolution through centuries of patronymic naming practices.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wrolson

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

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

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

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