2000
#11,573
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,491
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.92
Rare Last name
Bjorklund
A Swedish habitational surname derived from words meaning "birch grove" or "birch forest."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,805 Americans carry the last name Bjorklund. That puts it at #12,160 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.82 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 122,194 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bjorklund 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
2.8K
1 in 122,194
Census rank
#12,160
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,446 bearers of the surname Bjorklund in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.82 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12160th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bjorklund, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.3%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bjorklund
Bjorklund is a Swedish surname with origins dating back to the 16th century. The name is derived from the Old Swedish words "bjork" meaning birch tree, and "lund" meaning grove or meadow. This suggests the name may have originated as a place name referring to a birch grove or meadow.
The earliest recorded instances of the Bjorklund surname can be traced back to parish records from the province of Dalarna in central Sweden during the late 1500s. Some of the earliest known bearers of the name include Nils Bjorklund (born 1587) and Erik Bjorklund (born 1598) from the parish of Mora.
Over the next few centuries, the Bjorklund name gradually spread across Sweden, particularly in the central and northern regions. It became a common surname among farmers, woodsmen, and those living in rural areas near birch groves or meadows.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the Bjorklund surname was Johan Bjorklund (1693-1767), a Swedish Lutheran clergyman and author who served as a vicar in the parish of Leksand. Another early figure was Anders Bjorklund (1785-1859), a Swedish farmer and politician who served as a member of the Riksdag (Swedish Parliament) in the early 19th century.
As the Bjorklund name spread through Sweden, variations in spelling emerged, including Björklund, Bjørklund, and Bjorkelund. Some of these variations reflect regional dialects and language differences between Swedish and Norwegian.
In the 19th and 20th centuries, several Bjorklunds achieved recognition in various fields. These include:
1. Johan Alfred Bjorklund (1839-1923), a Swedish-American landscape painter known for his depictions of the American West.
2. Ingrid Bjorklund (1897-1981), a Swedish author and children's book writer who received the Astrid Lindgren Prize in 1971.
3. Arne Bjorklund (1923-2005), a Swedish chemist and professor who made significant contributions to the study of organic semiconductors.
4. Goran Bjorklund (born 1949), a Swedish football player who represented the Swedish national team and played in the 1974 FIFA World Cup.
5. Eva Bjorklund (born 1957), a Swedish singer and songwriter best known for representing Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1987.
While the Bjorklund surname has its roots in Sweden, it has since spread globally through immigration and diaspora communities, particularly in North America and other parts of Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bjorklund
Among Census respondents with the surname Bjorklund, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.3%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Bjorklund 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 Bjorklund surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.8% · 2,294
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 56
- Two or more races2.1% · 52
- Black or African American0.7% · 17
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bjorklund
Bjorklund 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
#12,261
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,537
+46 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Down 688 places
2020
#12,160
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,446
-91 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Up 101 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,573 | 2,491 | 0.92 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,261 | 2,537 | 0.86 | +46 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 688 places |
| 2020 | #12,160 | 2,446 | 0.82 | -91 bearers (-3.6%) | Up 101 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 Bjorklund 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 | #12,261 | #12,160 | 0.8% |
| Count | 2,537 | 2,446 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.86 | 0.82 | -4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bjorklund bearers went from 2,537 to 2,446 (-3.6% change). The surname moved up 101 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,261 to #12,160.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Bjorklund
FAQ
Bjorklund surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bjorklund?
Name Census estimates that about 2,805 living Americans carry the surname Bjorklund. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 122,194 residents.
How common is Bjorklund?
Bjorklund ranks #12,160 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.82 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 2,446 people with the surname Bjorklund. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,805), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.82 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.82 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 Bjorklund.
Has Bjorklund become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bjorklund went from 2,537 recorded bearers to 2,446. That is a decrease of 91 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,261 to #12,160.
What does the Census say about the background of Bjorklund?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bjorklund, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.3%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Bjorklund in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.8% (2,294 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bjorklund appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.8%), Hispanic (2.3%), Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Bjorklund (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 Bjorklund mean?
A Swedish habitational surname derived from words meaning "birch grove" or "birch forest." 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 Bjorklund (0.82 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 last name Bjorklund?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Bjorklund is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.