2000
#225
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120,124
First available Census row
Per 100,000 44.53
Common Last name
Carlson
Son of Carl, an English or Scandinavian surname derived from the personal name Carl or Karl, meaning "free man."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132,484 Americans carry the last name Carlson. That puts it at #263 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 38.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,587 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Carlson 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Carlson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
132K
1 in 2,587
Census rank
#263
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
38.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115,532 bearers of the surname Carlson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 38.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 263rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Carlson, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Carlson
Carlson is a Swedish surname that originated in the late 17th century. It is a patronymic name derived from the Swedish given name Carl, which is the Swedish form of Charles, and the suffix "-son" meaning "son of." The name literally means "son of Carl."
The name likely originated in the southern regions of Sweden, where the given name Carl was popular during the 17th and 18th centuries. It is possible that the earliest recorded instances of the name appeared in church records or census documents from that time period.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Carlson was Johan Carlson, a Swedish soldier who fought in the Great Northern War (1700-1721) against Russia. He was born in 1683 and died in 1742.
Another notable Carlson was Anders Carlson, a Swedish explorer and fur trader who traveled to North America in the late 18th century. He was born in 1757 and died in 1821.
In the 19th century, the name Carlson began to spread to other parts of the world as Swedish immigrants settled in various countries. One of the most famous Carlsons was Chester Carlson, the American inventor who patented the process of electrophotography, which became the basis for xerography and modern photocopying. He was born in 1906 and died in 1968.
Another well-known Carlson was Evan Carlson, an American jazz musician and composer who played with many famous big bands in the 1940s and 1950s. He was born in 1919 and died in 1990.
In the 20th century, the name Carlson became especially common in the United States due to the large number of Swedish immigrants who settled there. One notable American Carlson was Brianne Carlson, an Olympic swimmer who won a gold medal in the 4x100-meter medley relay at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
The name Carlson has also been found in various spellings over the years, such as Carlsson, Karlsson, and Karlsen, reflecting the different regional dialects and linguistic variations in Sweden and other Scandinavian countries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Carlson
Among Census respondents with the surname Carlson, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Carlson 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 Carlson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.9% · 106,152
- Two or more races3.1% · 3,605
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 3,596
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 995
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 595
- Black or African American0.5% · 589
Timeline
Historical Census data for Carlson
Carlson 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
#252
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120,552
+428 bearers (+0.4%)
Per 100,000 40.87
Rank movement Down 27 places
2020
#263
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115,532
-5,020 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 38.65
Rank movement Down 11 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #225 | 120,124 | 44.53 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #252 | 120,552 | 40.87 | +428 bearers (+0.4%) | Down 27 places |
| 2020 | #263 | 115,532 | 38.65 | -5,020 bearers (-4.2%) | Down 11 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 Carlson 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 | #252 | #263 | -4.4% |
| Count | 120,552 | 115,532 | -4.2% |
| Per 100K | 40.87 | 38.65 | -5.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Carlson bearers went from 120,552 to 115,532 (-4.2% change). The surname moved down 11 positions in the national ranking, going from #252 to #263.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Carlson
FAQ
Carlson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Carlson?
Name Census estimates that about 132,484 living Americans carry the surname Carlson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,587 residents.
How common is Carlson?
Carlson ranks #263 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 38.65 per 100,000 residents, which is about 39 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 115,532 people with the surname Carlson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132,484), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 38.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 38.65 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 39 of them to have the surname Carlson.
Has Carlson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Carlson went from 120,552 recorded bearers to 115,532. That is a decrease of 5,020 (-4.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #252 to #263.
What does the Census say about the background of Carlson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Carlson, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Carlson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (106,152 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Carlson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.9%), Two or More Races (3.1%), Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Carlson (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 Carlson mean?
Son of Carl, an English or Scandinavian surname derived from the personal name Carl or Karl, meaning "free man." 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 Carlson (38.65 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 Americans have the surname Carlson?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.