2000
#86,992
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 199
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.07
Very Rare Last name
Kristofferson
A patronymic Swedish surname derived from the personal name "Kristoffer", meaning "Christ-bearer".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 209 Americans carry the last name Kristofferson. That puts it at #104,723 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,639,973 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kristofferson 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
209
1 in 1,639,973
Census rank
#104,723
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
182
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 182 bearers of the surname Kristofferson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 104723rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kristofferson, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kristofferson
The surname Kristofferson is of Scandinavian origin, specifically from Sweden and Norway, and it dates back to the medieval period. It is a patronymic name, meaning that it is derived from the given name of a father or an ancestor. The name Kristofferson is composed of two parts: "Kristoffer," which is the Scandinavian form of the name Christopher, and "son," indicating the son of someone named Kristoffer.
The name Christopher itself is of Greek origin, derived from the words "Christos" (Christ) and "phero" (to bear or carry), literally meaning "bearer of Christ." This name was popular among early Christians and was later adopted in various forms across Europe, including the Scandinavian variant Kristoffer.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kristofferson can be found in the Icelandic Sagas, a collection of historical and fictional stories from the medieval period. The name is mentioned in the Laxdæla Saga, which dates back to the 13th century, referring to a character named Kristoffer Brandrsson.
In Sweden, a notable bearer of the name Kristofferson was Kristoffer Nilsson (1841-1923), a Swedish botanist and professor at the University of Lund. He made significant contributions to the study of plant taxonomy and was known for his extensive work on the flora of Scandinavia.
Another prominent figure with the surname Kristofferson was Kris Kristofferson (born 1936), an American actor, singer, and songwriter. He is best known for his roles in films such as "A Star Is Born" (1976) and "Lone Star" (1996), as well as for his contributions to country music. Kris Kristofferson's family roots trace back to Sweden, and his surname reflects his Scandinavian heritage.
In Norway, one of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kristofferson can be found in the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, a collection of medieval Norwegian documents. The name is mentioned in a document from the 14th century, referring to a person named Kristoffer Jonsson.
Another notable Norwegian with the surname Kristofferson was Kristoffer Uppdal (1872-1925), a writer and poet who was part of the Nynorsk literary movement. He is known for his novels and poetry collections, which explored themes of rural life and the Norwegian countryside.
Throughout history, the surname Kristofferson has been associated with various professions and fields, from academics and botanists to writers, poets, and even musicians and actors. While the exact origins of the name may be uncertain, its Scandinavian roots and connection to the name Christopher are well-established.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kristofferson
Among Census respondents with the surname Kristofferson, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Kristofferson 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 Kristofferson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 165
- Two or more races4.9% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.2% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino1.6% · 3
- Black or African American0.5% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kristofferson
Kristofferson 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
#101,737
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 177
-22 bearers (-11.1%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 14,745 places
2020
#104,723
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 182
+5 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 2,986 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #86,992 | 199 | 0.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #101,737 | 177 | 0.06 | -22 bearers (-11.1%) | Down 14,745 places |
| 2020 | #104,723 | 182 | 0.06 | +5 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 2,986 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 Kristofferson 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 | #101,737 | #104,723 | -2.9% |
| Count | 177 | 182 | 2.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.06 | 1.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kristofferson bearers went from 177 to 182 (+2.8% change). The surname moved down 2,986 positions in the national ranking, going from #101,737 to #104,723.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Kristofferson
FAQ
Kristofferson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kristofferson?
Name Census estimates that about 209 living Americans carry the surname Kristofferson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,639,973 residents.
How common is Kristofferson?
Kristofferson ranks #104,723 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 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 182 people with the surname Kristofferson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (209), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 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 Kristofferson.
Has Kristofferson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kristofferson went from 177 recorded bearers to 182. That is an increase of 5 (+2.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #101,737 to #104,723.
What does the Census say about the background of Kristofferson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kristofferson, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.2%). 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 Kristofferson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (165 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kristofferson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Two or More Races (4.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.2%). 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 Kristofferson (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 Kristofferson mean?
A patronymic Swedish surname derived from the personal name "Kristoffer", meaning "Christ-bearer". 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 Kristofferson (0.06 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 Kristofferson?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Kristofferson? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.