2000
#8,509
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,565
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.32
Rare Last name
Stromberg
A Swedish habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "stream mountain" or "river mountain."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,066 Americans carry the last name Stromberg. That puts it at #8,868 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.19 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 84,298 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stromberg 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
4.1K
1 in 84,298
Census rank
#8,868
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,546 bearers of the surname Stromberg in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.19 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8868th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stromberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stromberg
The surname Stromberg is of Swedish origin and dates back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old Norse words "straumr," meaning stream, and "berg," meaning mountain or hill. This suggests that the name originated in a region with a stream flowing through a mountainous or hilly area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Stromberg can be found in the Cistercian Abbey of Nydala, located in the Swedish province of Småland. The abbey's records from the 13th century mention a landowner named Sten Stromberg, who donated a portion of his estate to the monastery.
In the 14th century, a man named Björn Stromberg was documented as a prominent merchant in the city of Kalmar, located on the southeastern coast of Sweden. His trade activities likely contributed to the spread of the Stromberg name throughout the region.
The Stromberg surname also appeared in the historical records of the Swedish province of Östergötland. In the 15th century, a nobleman named Erik Stromberg was granted a feudal estate near the town of Linköping, which remained in the family's possession for several generations.
One notable bearer of the Stromberg name was Gustav Stromberg, a Swedish inventor and entrepreneur who lived from 1856 to 1923. He founded the Stromberg-Carlson Company, which became a leading manufacturer of telecommunications equipment in the United States.
Another individual of note was Nils Stromberg, a Swedish military officer who served in the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648). He was born in 1592 and rose to the rank of Colonel in the Swedish army, earning recognition for his bravery on the battlefield.
In the realm of literature, Carl Stromberg (1914-1983) was a renowned Swedish author and poet. His works explored themes of existentialism and the human condition, earning him critical acclaim and several prestigious literary awards.
While the Stromberg surname originated in Sweden, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and intermarriage. However, its roots can be traced back to the medieval era and the rugged landscapes of Scandinavia, where the name first took shape.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stromberg
Among Census respondents with the surname Stromberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Stromberg 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 Stromberg surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.2% · 3,233
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 143
- Two or more races2.7% · 96
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 38
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 21
- Black or African American0.4% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stromberg
Stromberg 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
#8,994
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,636
+71 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 1.23
Rank movement Down 485 places
2020
#8,868
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,546
-90 bearers (-2.5%)
Per 100,000 1.19
Rank movement Up 126 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,509 | 3,565 | 1.32 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,994 | 3,636 | 1.23 | +71 bearers (+2.0%) | Down 485 places |
| 2020 | #8,868 | 3,546 | 1.19 | -90 bearers (-2.5%) | Up 126 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 Stromberg 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 | #8,994 | #8,868 | 1.4% |
| Count | 3,636 | 3,546 | -2.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.23 | 1.19 | -3.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stromberg bearers went from 3,636 to 3,546 (-2.5% change). The surname moved up 126 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,994 to #8,868.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Stromberg
FAQ
Stromberg surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stromberg?
Name Census estimates that about 4,066 living Americans carry the surname Stromberg. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 84,298 residents.
How common is Stromberg?
Stromberg ranks #8,868 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.19 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 3,546 people with the surname Stromberg. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,066), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.19 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.19 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 Stromberg.
Has Stromberg become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stromberg went from 3,636 recorded bearers to 3,546. That is a decrease of 90 (-2.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,994 to #8,868.
What does the Census say about the background of Stromberg?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stromberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Stromberg in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (3,233 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stromberg appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.2%), Hispanic (4.0%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Stromberg (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 Stromberg mean?
A Swedish habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "stream mountain" or "river mountain." 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 Stromberg (1.19 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 Stromberg?
Want to know how many people have the last name Stromberg? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.