Engstrom
A Scandinavian surname meaning “by the river/island stream,” from a place-name element plus a word for a stream.
The #5,578 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 49,566 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Engstrom is a Scandinavian surname built from Old Norse and later Scandinavian place-name elements. The first part, eng, refers to a meadow or riverside grassland, while ström means “stream” or “current.” Taken together, the name most likely began as a habitational surname for someone living near a meadow by a stream, or from a place with that description.
History
The surname is especially associated with Sweden, where names built from landscape features are common. It traveled to the English-speaking world through Scandinavian migration, especially in the 19th and early 20th centuries, and is often found in the United States in families of Swedish or broader Scandinavian background. The spelling Engstrom also reflects the loss of the Swedish diacritic in Angström/Ångström-type forms when names were adapted into English.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same ström element appears in many Scandinavian place names and surnames, making water one of the most common landscape themes in Nordic naming.