2000
#15,244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,772
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.66
Rare Last name
Karlson
Derived from the Scandinavian given name Karl, meaning "free man" or "man of the common people."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,904 Americans carry the last name Karlson. That puts it at #16,742 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.56 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 180,018 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Karlson 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
1.9K
1 in 180,018
Census rank
#16,742
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,660 bearers of the surname Karlson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.56 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 16742nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Karlson, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Karlson
The surname Karlson is of Swedish origin, first appearing in historical records from the 15th century. It is derived from the Old Norse name Karlr, meaning "freeman" or "free man," combined with the patronymic suffix "-son," indicating "son of."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Karlson surname can be found in the Dano-Norwegian census records from the late 16th century, where it appears spelled as both "Karlson" and "Carlson." The name was particularly prevalent in the regions of Skåne and Halland, which were under Danish rule at the time.
In the 17th century, the Karlson name began to appear more frequently in Swedish church records, particularly in the provinces of Småland and Västergötland. One notable individual from this period was Johan Karlson, a Swedish military officer born in 1661, who served in the Great Northern War under King Charles XII.
During the 18th century, the Karlson surname continued to spread throughout Sweden, and several prominent individuals bore this name. Among them was Anders Karlson (1701-1779), a Swedish clergyman and author who served as the rector of the Linköping Cathedral School.
In the 19th century, the Karlson surname gained international recognition with the birth of Emil Karlson (1852-1926), a Swedish chemist and professor at the University of Uppsala. He is best known for his contributions to the study of organic chemistry and the development of the Karlson-Winkler method for determining the molecular weight of liquids.
Another notable figure from this era was Gustaf Karlson (1855-1927), a Swedish artist and painter whose works often depicted scenes from rural life in Sweden. His paintings are displayed in several museums across the country, including the Nationalmuseum in Stockholm.
As Swedish immigration to North America increased in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Karlson surname also found its way to the United States and Canada. One prominent individual from this period was Erik Karlson (1882-1953), a Swedish-American engineer and inventor who held numerous patents for his contributions to the development of the modern washing machine.
These examples illustrate the rich history and global reach of the Karlson surname, which has its roots in the ancient Nordic tradition but has since spread across the world, carried by individuals who have made significant contributions in various fields.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Karlson
Among Census respondents with the surname Karlson, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Karlson 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 Karlson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.6% · 1,504
- Two or more races4.0% · 66
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 52
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 25
- Black or African American0.5% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Karlson
Karlson 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
#14,006
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,150
+378 bearers (+21.3%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Up 1,238 places
2020
#16,742
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,660
-490 bearers (-22.8%)
Per 100,000 0.56
Rank movement Down 2,736 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,244 | 1,772 | 0.66 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,006 | 2,150 | 0.73 | +378 bearers (+21.3%) | Up 1,238 places |
| 2020 | #16,742 | 1,660 | 0.56 | -490 bearers (-22.8%) | Down 2,736 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 Karlson 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 | #14,006 | #16,742 | -19.5% |
| Count | 2,150 | 1,660 | -22.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.73 | 0.56 | -23.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Karlson bearers went from 2,150 to 1,660 (-22.8% change). The surname moved down 2,736 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,006 to #16,742.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Karlson
FAQ
Karlson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Karlson?
Name Census estimates that about 1,904 living Americans carry the surname Karlson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 180,018 residents.
How common is Karlson?
Karlson ranks #16,742 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.56 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 1,660 people with the surname Karlson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,904), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.56 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.56 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 Karlson.
Has Karlson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Karlson went from 2,150 recorded bearers to 1,660. That is a decrease of 490 (-22.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,006 to #16,742.
What does the Census say about the background of Karlson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Karlson, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) 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 Karlson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.6% (1,504 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Karlson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.6%), Two or More Races (4.0%), 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 Karlson (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 Karlson mean?
Derived from the Scandinavian given name Karl, meaning "free man" or "man of the common people." 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 Karlson (0.56 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 surname Karlson?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.