2000
#7,708
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,980
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.48
Rare Last name
Sundberg
A Swedish toponymic surname referring to someone who lived near a sunny hill or mountain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,651 Americans carry the last name Sundberg. That puts it at #7,844 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.36 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 73,695 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sundberg 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
4.7K
1 in 73,695
Census rank
#7,844
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,056 bearers of the surname Sundberg in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.36 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7844th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sundberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sundberg
The surname SUNDBERG originates from Sweden, emerging in the 17th century. It is derived from the Old Norse words "sundr" meaning "south" and "berg" meaning "mountain" or "hill." The name likely referred to someone who lived on or near a southern hill or mountain.
In the early 18th century, the name appeared in various Swedish church records and parish registers, such as those from the regions of Småland and Västergötland. Variations in spelling included Sundbergh and Sundbärg.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the 1689 birth records of Norra Vram parish in Skåne, where a child named Johan Sundberg was born to parents Anders and Karin.
In the 19th century, SUNDBERG became a more common surname, particularly in central and southern Sweden. Prominent individuals with this name include the Swedish artist Gustaf Wilhelm Sundberg (1806-1870), known for his landscape paintings.
Another notable figure is the Swedish writer and poet Carl Wilhelm August Sundberg (1843-1919), who wrote under the pen name Carl Snoilsky. His works include the poetry collections "Dikter" (1870) and "Nya Dikter" (1881).
The Swedish playwright and novelist August Sundberg (1865-1924) is also remembered for his plays such as "Tryckt" (1895) and "Vid Solnedgången" (1907).
In the field of science, the Swedish botanist and phycologist Gustaf Olof Andersson Sundberg (1856-1927) made significant contributions to the study of algae and seaweeds.
Additionally, the Swedish military officer and diplomat Erik Sundberg (1865-1925) served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs for Sweden from 1917 to 1919.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who bore the surname SUNDBERG, which has its origins in the ancient Nordic languages and likely referred to a person's geographic location in relation to a southern hill or mountain.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sundberg
Among Census respondents with the surname Sundberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Sundberg 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 Sundberg surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.0% · 3,691
- Two or more races3.6% · 146
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 126
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 43
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 40
- Black or African American0.2% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sundberg
Sundberg 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
#7,912
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,181
+201 bearers (+5.1%)
Per 100,000 1.42
Rank movement Down 204 places
2020
#7,844
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,056
-125 bearers (-3.0%)
Per 100,000 1.36
Rank movement Up 68 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,708 | 3,980 | 1.48 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,912 | 4,181 | 1.42 | +201 bearers (+5.1%) | Down 204 places |
| 2020 | #7,844 | 4,056 | 1.36 | -125 bearers (-3.0%) | Up 68 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 Sundberg 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 | #7,912 | #7,844 | 0.9% |
| Count | 4,181 | 4,056 | -3.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.42 | 1.36 | -4.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sundberg bearers went from 4,181 to 4,056 (-3.0% change). The surname moved up 68 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,912 to #7,844.
FAQ
Sundberg surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sundberg?
Name Census estimates that about 4,651 living Americans carry the surname Sundberg. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 73,695 residents.
How common is Sundberg?
Sundberg ranks #7,844 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.36 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 4,056 people with the surname Sundberg. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,651), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.36 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.36 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 Sundberg.
Has Sundberg become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sundberg went from 4,181 recorded bearers to 4,056. That is a decrease of 125 (-3.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,912 to #7,844.
What does the Census say about the background of Sundberg?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sundberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) 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 Sundberg in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (3,691 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sundberg appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.0%), Two or More Races (3.6%), 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 Sundberg (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 Sundberg mean?
A Swedish toponymic surname referring to someone who lived near a sunny hill or 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 Sundberg (1.36 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 Sundberg?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.