Lindstrom
A Scandinavian surname meaning “lime tree stream” or “linden stream.”
The #3,641 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 31,653 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Lindstrom is a Scandinavian habitational surname built from two common elements: lind, meaning “linden” or “lime tree,” and ström/strom, meaning “stream” or “current.” The name likely referred to someone who lived near a stream bordered by linden trees, or to a place called Lindström/Lindstrøm. In North American records the spelling is often simplified to Lindstrom by dropping the Scandinavian accented form.
History
The surname is well established in Sweden and Norway and was carried abroad by emigrants, especially to the United States in the 19th and early 20th centuries. As with many Scandinavian surnames, it became fixed as a hereditary family name during the period when surnames were regularized from earlier patronymic naming customs. The Anglicized spelling Lindstrom is common in English-speaking countries.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The first element, lind, appears in many Scandinavian place names and usually points to the linden tree, a culturally important tree in northern Europe.