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There has been some difficulty in disentangling a few families with the name Ramstedt, that Internet genealogy has presented as having a common origin. This is probably not so.

As has been usual in Sweden, where the common folk have been known by plain patronymics for such a long time, the name Ramstedt has been adopted at different points in time by people who became something more than farmers or crofters. Often their inspiration for the name was the birthplace they left behind. Swedish family names stemming from place names typically combine a beginning part (usually one syllable) from the place name and an ending chosen from a fairly small number of common surname endings. In this case the Germanic "stedt", which for some reason has been used more often that the Swedish "stad".

Several of the Ramstedt families came from Ramsberg parish in Bergslagen. They do not seem to have a common origin within paper trail time. What they do have in common is that they left Ramsberg and picked up a trade.

But there are many place names beginning with Ram- all over Sweden. Most of them presumably have been named after ravens, those watchful and mythically powerful birds.

Ramstedt from east and west - not Ramsberg

Vicar Magnus Ramstedt

Magnus (Eriksson) Ramstedt (1690-1753) was born to farmers in Ramsta, Gamleby parish, Kalmar county. He will probably have chosen the name as a student in Lund, before 1717, so he may have been one of the earliest Ramstedts. He is not the father of the following:

Captain Claes Ramstedt

The background of Claes Ramstedt (abt.1732-1803) is a mystery. He was a first mate on a cargo ship when he married in Marstrand in 1766. Later he captained his own ship, and later he worked for the State as a pilot-inspector. For his services Russo-Swedish War 1788-1790 he was promoted to Amiralitetslöjtnant. The only record that says anything about where he came from, states that he was born in Västervik. Internet Genealogy has connected him to the Ramsberg families - however he does not fit into the family structure of any of those families.

Ramstedt from Ramsberg

The first two families are often conflated in Internet genealogy. This is understandable, since both fathers are named Anders, both mothers are Claesdotters (although not sisters) and in both families there are sons adopting the surname Ramstedt. There are also some unfortunate mistakes in the original church records, that have to be sorted out by consulting birth records and household records together.

• There is a smith alderman, Jacob Ramstedt, born in Ramsberg 1718, living in Vedevåg from 1732 to 1764 - Lindesberg (T) AIb:1 (1764-1772) Bild 12 / sid 11 (AID: v52115.b12.s11, NAD: SE/ULA/10851)

Ramstedt smiths in Finland

Anders Johansson and his wife Anna Claesdotter in Norrsjö, Ramsberg, had a son, who became a smith, adopted the name Ramstedt (about 1750), moved to Finland and founded a family there. These were the children of Anders and Anna:

1. Jan Andersson, 1723-
2. Susanna Andersdotter, 1725-1804
3. Claes Andersson, 1727- left Ramsberg in 1754
4. Anders Andersson Ramstedt, 1730-1811, a smith who moved to Finland
5. Lars Andersson, 1732-1794, stayed in Norrsjön as a crofter
6. Olof Andersson, 1735- left Ramsberg in 1753
7. Petter Andersson 1741- left Ramsberg in 1759

Ramstedt tailors in Lindesberg

Anders Larsson and his wife Ingri Claesdotter in Tomasbo, Ramsberg had two sons who adopted the name Ramstedt when they became tailors in Lindesberg (about 1750). These were the children of Anders and Ingri:

1. Anna Andersdotter 1718–1788
2. Lars Andersson 1720-1789
3. Clas Andersson 1722- left Ramsberg after 1740, but he is probably too old to be the captain in Marstrand
4. Ingrid Andersdotter 1724–
5. Anders Andersson Ramstedt 1726–1756, tailor in Rya, Lindesberg
6. Johan Andersson Ramstedt 1729-1802, tailor in Rya, Lindesberg
7. Catharina Andersdotter 1733–1803

There is a Petter Ramstedt, born in Ramshyttan 1713, living in Lindesberg in the 1750s, with a son Petter and a daughter Margareta

Lindesberg (T) AIa:9 (1757-1764) Bild 157 / sid 151 (AID: v51797.b157.s151, NAD: SE/ULA/10851)

Forest ranger Ramstedt

Matthias Ramstedt (1735-1789) was the son of Anders Matsson and his wife Maria Johansdotter in Snesnaren, Ramsberg. He had adopted the name Ramstedt before his first marriage in 1765.

More Ramstedts from elsewhere

Just to show that the name Ramstedt has been independently "invented" by families with an origin in places named something starting with Ram-

• Johan (Jansson) Ramstedt (1752-1802) was a smith. in Fellingsbro, who started using the name Ramstedt in the 1780s.
• Kajsa Lena (Ramstedt) Beaty (1853-1901), born in Ljustorp, Västernorrland, seems to have been from a smith family
• Eric (Jansson) Ramstedt (1766-1829) was a crofter in Lillkyrka, Örebro county, who may have been born in Lindesberg.
• Anders Ramstedt (1763-1822) was a miner in Östergötland, who came from Ljusnarsberg.

Some general links

• Wikipedia:Ramstedt in Wikipedia. There are more individuals listed on the Swedish page
• The Swedish census 1880 lists 218 persons with the surname Ramstedt (children living with their parents probably not included)
• Currently 833 persons in Sweden carry the surname Ramstedt - SCB search 2021-10-21