NameCensus.

UK surname

Gustafson

Son of Gustaf, a Swedish patronymic surname derived from the male given name Gustaf.

In the 1881 census there were 13 people recorded with the Gustafson surname, ranking it #31,761 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 138, ranked #25,127, up from #31,761 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to No data. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Liverpool, Bristol and Knowsley.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Gustafson is 147 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 961.5%.

1881 census count

13

Ranked #31,761

Modern count

138

2016, ranked #25,127

Peak year

2010

147 bearers

Map years

3

1998 to 2016

Key insights

  • Gustafson had 13 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #31,761 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 138 in 2016, ranked #25,127.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 85 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Gustafson surname distribution map

The map shows where the Gustafson surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Gustafson surname density by area, 2016 modern.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Gustafson over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 1 #33,412
1861 historical 3 #33,861
1881 historical 13 #31,761
1891 historical 46 #30,657
1901 historical 64 #27,010
1911 historical 85 #24,322
1997 modern 105 #26,188
1998 modern 106 #26,689
1999 modern 111 #26,182
2000 modern 109 #26,381
2001 modern 113 #25,489
2002 modern 116 #25,632
2003 modern 117 #25,282
2004 modern 120 #25,078
2005 modern 116 #25,564
2006 modern 126 #24,493
2007 modern 143 #22,924
2008 modern 136 #24,004
2009 modern 140 #24,033
2010 modern 147 #23,809
2011 modern 147 #23,627
2012 modern 141 #24,258
2013 modern 141 #24,670
2014 modern 142 #24,734
2015 modern 138 #25,103
2016 modern 138 #25,127

Geography

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Where Gustafsons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around No data. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Liverpool, Bristol, Knowsley, Newton Stewart and Milton Keynes. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 No data No data

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Liverpool 017 Liverpool
2 Bristol 049 Bristol, City of
3 Knowsley 008 Knowsley
4 Newton Stewart Dumfries and Galloway
5 Milton Keynes 008 Milton Keynes

Forenames

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First names often paired with Gustafson

These lists show first names that appear often with the Gustafson surname in historical and recent records.

Historical female names

No Forenames Found

Historical male names

No Forenames Found

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Gustafson

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Gustafson, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Ageing Communities

Nationally, the Gustafson surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Ageing Communities, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Gustafson household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many residents are of normal retirement age or above and live in communal establishments, and there are few dependent children. The dominant property type is a mix of retirement flats and detached houses. Those in work are likely to be employed in managerial and professional occupations, and many residents are educated to degree level. Levels of owner occupation are high, but the private rental sector is also present. Rural locations predominate.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburban Asian Communities

Group

Settled Semi-Detached Asians

Within London, Gustafson is most associated with areas classed as Settled Semi-Detached Asians, part of Suburban Asian Communities. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These residents share Supergroup characteristics of large (non-Chinese) Asian populations but those identifying as Bangladeshi are notably absent. Many residents were born in the UK, while other more recent migrants have African birthplaces. Semi-detached housing, much of it owner occupied, prevails in these suburban residential locations.

Wider London pattern

Many residents of these neighbourhoods are of (non-Chinese) Asian descent, with many identifying as Indian, Pakistani or Bangladeshi. Neighbourhoods are located across large areas of suburban west, north-east and south London. Detached, semi-detached and terraced houses are more prevalent than flats and socially rented housing is uncommon. Few residents live in communal establishments. Many families have dependent children, sometimes in overcrowded accommodation, and few households are ethnically mixed. Marriage rates are above the London average. The even age distribution, relative absence of individuals living alone and frequent incidence of households with children suggests that multi-generation households may be relatively common. Employment is often in skilled trades, elementary, sales and customer service occupations, and roles as process, plant, and machine operatives. Manufacturing and construction are well represented, along with employment in distribution, hotels, and restaurants. Many adults have only level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. English is not used at home by some residents. Religious affiliation is above average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Gustafson is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Gustafson falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Gustafson is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Gustafson, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Gustafson

The surname Gustafson is of Swedish origin, originating in the 17th century. It is a patronymic name, derived from the personal name Gustaf, the Swedish form of the name Gustavus, combined with the suffix 'son' meaning 'son of'. The name Gustaf itself is derived from the Old Norse name 'Guðlafr', composed of the elements 'guð' meaning 'god' and 'lafr' meaning 'descendant' or 'heir'.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Gustafson can be found in Swedish church records from the late 17th century. These records often mentioned individuals from rural areas near cities like Stockholm and Gothenburg. The name was particularly prevalent in the provinces of Dalarna and Värmland.

One of the earliest known bearers of the surname was Johan Gustafson, born in 1695 in the village of Mora, Dalarna. He was a farmer and landowner, and his descendants continued to use the surname in the region for generations.

In the 19th century, the name Gustafson began to spread more widely across Sweden as industrialization and urbanization led to increased migration. Some notable individuals from this period include Erik Gustafson (1825-1890), a successful businessman and politician from Gothenburg, and Anna Gustafson (1860-1942), a pioneering educator and women's rights activist from Stockholm.

As Swedish immigration to North America increased in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the surname Gustafson became more common in countries like the United States and Canada. One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name in the United States was Carl Gustafson, born in 1844 in Småland, Sweden, who settled in Minnesota in the 1870s and worked as a farmer.

Other notable individuals with the surname Gustafson include Axel Gustafson (1897-1980), a Swedish-American inventor and entrepreneur who developed the first successful self-winding wristwatch, and Ingemar Gustafson (1919-2008), a Swedish-American academic and historian who served as the president of Gustavus Adolphus College in Minnesota.

While the surname Gustafson is most closely associated with its Swedish origins, it has since spread to various parts of the world through migration and has been adopted by individuals of different backgrounds and nationalities.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Gustafson families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Gustafson surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Durham leads with 3 Gustafsons recorded in 1881 and an index of 7.95x.

County Total Index
Durham 3 7.95x
Lancashire 3 1.99x
Middlesex 3 2.37x
Northumberland 2 10.60x
Lanarkshire 1 2.44x
Renfrewshire 1 10.17x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Chatton in Northumberland leads with 2 Gustafsons recorded in 1881 and an index of 3333.33x.

Place Total Index
Chatton 2 3333.33x
Liverpool 2 21.88x
South Shields 2 588.24x
Govan 1 9.86x
Greenock Oldor West 1 3333.33x
Islington London 1 8.14x
Poplar London 1 41.84x
Shadwell London 1 285.71x
Sunderland 1 149.25x
Toxteth Park 1 19.65x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Gustafson surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Maria 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Gustafson surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Anders 1
C.E. 1
Carl 1
Emanuel 1
Frederic 1
Hans 1
Joh. 1
O. 1
Olof 1
Todor 1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Gustafson households.

FAQ

Gustafson surname: questions and answers

How common was the Gustafson surname in 1881?

In 1881, 13 people were recorded with the Gustafson surname. That placed it at #31,761 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Gustafson surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 138 in 2016. That gives Gustafson a modern rank of #25,127.

What does the Gustafson surname mean?

Son of Gustaf, a Swedish patronymic surname derived from the male given name Gustaf.

What does the Gustafson map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Gustafson bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.