2000
#68,360
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 269
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.10
Very Rare Last name
Wistrom
A Swedish surname originating from a farmstead or village name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 312 Americans carry the last name Wistrom. That puts it at #76,236 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,098,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wistrom 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
312
1 in 1,098,572
Census rank
#76,236
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
272
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 272 bearers of the surname Wistrom in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 76236th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wistrom, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.5%) and Black (0.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wistrom
The surname Wistrom has its origins in Scandinavia, particularly in Sweden. The time period of its first occurrences dates back to the medieval era when surnames began to be more commonly recorded. The name Wistrom can be broken down into elements that reflect much about its original meaning. The prefix "Wi" is likely derived from an old Norse or Old Swedish word, possibly related to "Vig" which means war or battle. The suffix "strom" translates to stream or river in both Swedish and Norse, indicating a geographical connection. Therefore, Wistrom may originally signify a person living by a significant stream or river associated with battles or strong currents.
There are several instances where references to similar variations of the name appear in old manuscripts and records. One of the earliest known documents mentioning a form of Wistrom can be traced back to Swedish land records from the 14th century, where a man named Lars Vigostrom is noted as a landowner in the Södermanland region. The evolution of the spelling into Wistrom likely occurred as record-keeping became more standardized.
By the 17th century, Wistrom had become an established surname in parts of Sweden, especially in the regions of Värmland and Närke. An early recorded instance of the name appears in church records from 1624, where Johan Wistrom is baptized in a parish in Karlstad. The name gradually spread to neighboring areas, influenced possibly by local migrations and economic shifts.
During the 18th century, Anders Wistrom, born in 1738, became a notable figure as a merchant and local council member in Örebro. His extensive trade connections helped register the name in various civic documents, cementing its presence in Swedish administrative history. By the 19th century, the name appears in educational records with Erik Wistrom, born 1791, establishing himself as a prominent schoolmaster in Uppsala.
The 19th century saw a surge in emigration from Sweden, and the Wistrom family was no exception. Carl Johan Wistrom, born in 1822, emigrated to the United States and became a respected community leader in the Swedish-American communities of Illinois. His records are found in both Swedish emigration archives and U.S. census-like registrations from that era, contributing to the surname's trans-Atlantic journey.
By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the name Wistrom had appeared in various professional realms. Maria Wistrom, born in 1875, made a name for herself as a well-known midwife in the northern Swedish region of Dalarna. Her reputation was noted in several medical and local histories, preserving the name's association with healthcare.
While the geographic spread of the Wistrom name means it has appeared in various fields, it retains a unified connection to Scandinavian origins, specifically Swedish linguistic and cultural roots. The name’s continuous appearance in historical records, from medieval manuscripts to 19th-century emigration documents, demonstrates its enduring legacy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wistrom
Among Census respondents with the surname Wistrom, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.5%) and Black (0.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Wistrom 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 Wistrom surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.4% · 265
- Hispanic or Latino1.5% · 4
- Black or African American0.7% · 2
- Two or more races0.4% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wistrom
Wistrom 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
#64,721
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 307
+38 bearers (+14.1%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Up 3,639 places
2020
#76,236
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 272
-35 bearers (-11.4%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Down 11,515 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #68,360 | 269 | 0.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #64,721 | 307 | 0.10 | +38 bearers (+14.1%) | Up 3,639 places |
| 2020 | #76,236 | 272 | 0.09 | -35 bearers (-11.4%) | Down 11,515 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 Wistrom 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 | #64,721 | #76,236 | -17.8% |
| Count | 307 | 272 | -11.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.10 | 0.09 | -9.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wistrom bearers went from 307 to 272 (-11.4% change). The surname moved down 11,515 positions in the national ranking, going from #64,721 to #76,236.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Wistrom
FAQ
Wistrom surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wistrom?
Name Census estimates that about 312 living Americans carry the surname Wistrom. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,098,572 residents.
How common is Wistrom?
Wistrom ranks #76,236 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.09 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 272 people with the surname Wistrom. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (312), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.09 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 Wistrom.
Has Wistrom become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wistrom went from 307 recorded bearers to 272. That is a decrease of 35 (-11.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #64,721 to #76,236.
What does the Census say about the background of Wistrom?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wistrom, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.5%) and Black (0.7%). 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 Wistrom in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.4% (265 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wistrom appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.4%), Hispanic (1.5%), Black (0.7%). 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 Wistrom (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 Wistrom mean?
A Swedish surname originating from a farmstead or village name. 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 Wistrom (0.09 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 Wistrom?
You can see how many people have the last name Wistrom on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.