2000
#121,058
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 132
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Zetterlund
A Swedish surname derived from a place name referring to a pasture or meadow.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Zetterlund. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Zetterlund 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Zetterlund in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Zetterlund, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.1%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Zetterlund
The surname Zetterlund originates from Sweden and is believed to have emerged in the 17th or 18th century. The name is primarily associated with regions such as Värmland and Dalarna, areas rich in natural beauty and dense forests, which influenced many surnames with references to nature.
Zetterlund is derived from the combination of two Swedish words. The first part "Zetter" is an older Swedish form of "Säter," which refers to a type of summer pasture or mountain meadow. The second part "lund" means "grove" or "small forest." Together, Zetterlund can be interpreted as "meadow grove" or "pasture forest," reflecting the Swedish fondness for nature in their nomenclature.
The surname Zetterlund appears in historical records from the early 18th century. One of the earliest references is found in church registers, which began systematically logging births, marriages, and deaths around this time. A notable early mention is Anders Zetterlund, born in 1723 in Dalarna, who served as a clergyman and was documented in ecclesiastical records.
The name enjoyed a modest presence in Swedish literature and historical documents throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries. Johan Zetterlund, born in 1804, was a notable figure in agricultural development in Värmland. His contributions to farming techniques are recorded in regional archives.
A prominent bearer of the name in more recent history was Monica Zetterlund, born in 1937, a renowned Swedish jazz singer and actress who gained international fame. She is remembered for her collaborations with jazz legends like Bill Evans and her appearance in Ingmar Bergman's films.
In the realm of sports, Henry Zetterlund, born in 1886, was an athlete who competed in early iterations of the modern Olympics, representing Sweden. His participation was documented in sporting archives and is still celebrated by local historians.
The Zetterlund name also appears in political history through Gert Zetterlund, born in 1911, who served as a member of the Swedish parliament. His legislative work and speeches were recorded in parliamentary archives, making him an influential political figure of his time.
These historical figures, along with various archival materials, provide a rich tapestry that illustrates the evolution of the Zetterlund surname over centuries. The name's association with pastoral and forested landscapes underscores Sweden's connection to nature, making Zetterlund a surname deeply rooted in the country's cultural and geographical heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zetterlund
Among Census respondents with the surname Zetterlund, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.1%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Zetterlund 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 Zetterlund surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.3% · 105
- Two or more races6.1% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zetterlund
Zetterlund 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
#136,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
-9 bearers (-6.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,391 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-8 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,308 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #121,058 | 132 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #136,449 | 123 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-6.8%) | Down 15,391 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 9,308 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 Zetterlund 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 | #136,449 | #145,757 | -6.8% |
| Count | 123 | 115 | -6.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zetterlund bearers went from 123 to 115 (-6.5% change). The surname moved down 9,308 positions in the national ranking, going from #136,449 to #145,757.
FAQ
Zetterlund surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zetterlund?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Zetterlund. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Zetterlund?
Zetterlund ranks #145,757 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 115 people with the surname Zetterlund. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Zetterlund.
Has Zetterlund become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zetterlund went from 123 recorded bearers to 115. That is a decrease of 8 (-6.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #136,449 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Zetterlund?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zetterlund, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.1%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Zetterlund in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zetterlund 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 (6.1%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Zetterlund (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 Zetterlund mean?
A Swedish surname derived from a place name referring to a pasture or meadow. 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 Zetterlund (0.04 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 Zetterlund?
Want to know how many people have the last name Zetterlund? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.