Explore the Family Name Wahlstrom

The meaning of Wahlstrom

Swedish (Wahlström): ornamental name composed of (an altered form) of the elements vall ‘grassy bank, pasture’ + ström ‘stream’. Compare Walstrom. Some characteristic forenames: Scandinavian Erik, Nils, Mats, Sig, Sven.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Wahlstrom in the United States?

Based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Wahlstrom has seen a slight decrease in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked 18,588th most popular, but by 2010 it had dropped to being the 19,480th most common surname. Although its rank decreased by 4.8%, the actual count of people with this name increased marginally from 1,368 to 1,387, representing a 1.39% increase. However, when measured per 100,000 people, the proportion of people named Wahlstrom declined by 7.84%.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#18,588	#19,480	-4.8%
Count	1,368	1,387	1.39%
Proportion per 100k	0.51	0.47	-7.84%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Wahlstrom

The ethnicity associated with the surname Wahlstrom also saw some changes from 2000 to 2010, as indicated by the Decennial U.S. Census. The surname is predominantly associated with individuals who identify as white, although this proportion decreased slightly from 96.78% in 2000 to 94.95% in 2010. The Hispanic representation within the Wahlstrom surname increased by 53.03%, moving from 1.32% in 2000 to 2.02% in 2010. A significant increase can also be observed within those identifying as having two or more races, which grew by 198.28%. Asian/Pacific Islander representation appeared in 2010 at 0.87%, while the percentage of those identifying as Black went down to zero.

	2000	2010	Change
White	96.78%	94.95%	-1.89%
Hispanic	1.32%	2.02%	53.03%
Two or More Races	0.58%	1.73%	198.28%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0%	0.87%	0%
Black	0.66%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%