Lindquist
A Swedish-style surname meaning “linden tree twig/branch,” from a nature word plus a common name-building element.
The #3,189 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 27,233 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Lindquist is a Swedish surname built from lind, meaning “linden” or “lime tree,” and -quist / -qvist, a spelling of kvist, meaning “twig” or “branch.” In older surname formation, this kind of combination often created a graceful, nature-based family name rather than a literal description. The name is therefore usually understood as an ornamental Swedish surname, roughly “linden branch.”
History
The name fits the broad pattern of Swedish surnames formed from two pleasant nature elements, a style that became especially common in the 18th and 19th centuries. It spread outside Sweden through migration, especially to North America, where many Swedish surnames kept their original spelling or developed minor spelling variants. The historical excerpts provided mention the name only incidentally, so they do not add independent evidence beyond its Swedish character.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The -quist ending is an older spelling that corresponds to modern Swedish -kvist, so the name’s sense is easier to see if you read it as “Lind-kvist.”
From the historical record
“Linder, 110 Lindo, 110 Lindquist, 470 Line, 274 Liney, 274 Ling, 109 Lingard, 109 Lingen, 109”
— The Teutonic Name-System applied to the family names of France, England and Germany