"The Most Swedish Name in All of Space" - Taiwanese-American Astronaut Kjell Lindgren Shares Family History
Taiwanese-American astronaut Kjell Lindgren's distinctive Swedish name, Kjell Lindgren, reflects his family's ancestral ties to Sweden and the history of Swedish emigration to the US.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 20, 2026 at 20:08
- 🔍 Collected: April 20, 2026 at 20:32 (23 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 20, 2026 at 20:37 (5 min after Collected)
Central News Agency
(CNA, Stockholm, April 20, Reporter Gu Yong-lai) Taiwanese-American astronaut Kjell Lindgren, born in Taiwan, possesses a distinctively Swedish name, Kjell Lindgren. His paternal ancestors originated from southern Sweden, and Swedish astronaut Christer Fuglesang once jokingly remarked that Lindgren might have "the most Swedish name in all of space." This name carries the cultural heritage of Lindgren's ancestors and the significant history of the Great Swedish Emigration.
Kjell Lindgren's English name, Kjell Lindgren, is actually a very traditional and typical Swedish name. Anyone from Sweden or knowledgeable about the Swedish language would immediately recognize this name as belonging to a Swede or a descendant of Swedes.
Kjell is an ancient Norse name originating from the Viking era, meaning "pot" or "helmet." According to statistics from the Swedish Tax Agency (Swedish Tax Agency), there are currently 47,932 people named Kjell in Sweden. Although it was not the most popular newborn name after the 20th century, the electrical store Kjell & Company is a household name in Sweden, and the visibility of the name Kjell remains high.
According to data from the Swedish Tax Agency, Lindgren, Lindgren's surname, is also a typical Swedish surname formation, formed by combining two natural elements. Lind represents the linden tree, a common tree in Sweden, and Gren means branch. Currently, there are 22,267 people named Lindgren in Sweden, ranking 22nd among the most common surnames nationwide. The surname of the renowned children's literature author Astrid Lindgren is Lindgren.
When Kjell Lindgren carried out his mission to the International Space Station in 2015, Swedish media had once conducted research based on his name and connections to Sweden.
It is not a coincidence that Lindgren's name immediately indicates his Swedish background.
According to Swedish media reports at the time, Lindgren's ancestors came from Osby in Skåne Province, southern Sweden. Lindgren stated that although he does not visit Sweden frequently, he has inherited his ancestors' names and is clear about his bloodline and cultural inheritance.
At that time, Swedish astronaut Christer Fuglesang congratulated Lindgren on his successful mission on Twitter (now X), jokingly saying his name might be the most Swedish in all of space. Fuglesang's tweet ended with wishing Lindgren good luck in Swedish.
Lindgren's ancestor Kjell William Dahl emigrated from Sweden to the United States in 1902. According to the Emigrant Institute (Utvandranas hus), between 1846 and 1930, about 1.3 million Swedes emigrated to North America, with 1 million settling in the United States, accounting for nearly one-fifth of Sweden's population at the time.
The main reasons for the large-scale emigration of Swedes were poverty and famine. Sweden's industrialization was not high at the time, making it one of the poorer countries in Europe. Many people's livelihoods still depended on agriculture. To seek new opportunities and a better future, Swedes came to the New World.
Swedish immigrants often settled in the American Midwest. Minnesota had the largest number of Swedish immigrants at the time. The industrial city of Chicago was also very attractive, with nearly 50,000 Swedish residents by the end of the 19th century.
The province of Småland, where the reporter resides, is notoriously known for its infertile land and was the province with the largest number of emigrants at the time. Some elders in the family had emigrated to Canada, and many friends around have relatives in the United States, and they often encounter American descendants of Swedish origin who have "emigrated back" to Sweden.
Many descendants of Swedish immigrants in the United States place great importance on their cultural traditions and return to Sweden every year to visit relatives and trace their roots. Sweden even had a television program called Allt för Sverige, specifically for Americans tracing their roots to experience Swedish life and culture.
This history of mass emigration has had a profound impact on Sweden. It has not only produced much literary and film/television work but also prompted Sweden to improve living quality and build a "country with a future" to prevent further population outflow. Furthermore, the large population outflow created space for industrial mechanization. It is not an exaggeration to say that mass emigration propelled Sweden toward modernization.
Lindgren inherits the name of his great-grandfather, who emigrated from Sweden to the United States to forge a future, preserving this history and cultural background in his life through his name.
NASA astronaut Lindgren will participate in the US Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs' "American Abroad" citizen speaker program and will visit Taiwan from April 21 to 25 to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States through related activities of "Freedom 250."
Lindgren, born in Taiwan, has undertaken two long-duration missions to the space station, accumulating a total of 311 days working and living in space. He will arrive in Taiwan on the 21st, during which he will meet with high-level Taiwanese leaders and visit the National Space Organization, the National Cheng Kung University Xia Han-min Space Technology Center, and the Cube Satellite Research Center. (Editor: Chen Cheng-kung) 1150420
Stand with facts, your every sponsorship is a force to protect press freedom
Download CNA's "First News" APP and get the latest news in real-time
Text, images, and videos on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, or publicly transmitted and used without authorization.
(CNA, Stockholm, April 20, Reporter Gu Yong-lai) Taiwanese-American astronaut Kjell Lindgren, born in Taiwan, possesses a distinctively Swedish name, Kjell Lindgren. His paternal ancestors originated from southern Sweden, and Swedish astronaut Christer Fuglesang once jokingly remarked that Lindgren might have "the most Swedish name in all of space." This name carries the cultural heritage of Lindgren's ancestors and the significant history of the Great Swedish Emigration.
Kjell Lindgren's English name, Kjell Lindgren, is actually a very traditional and typical Swedish name. Anyone from Sweden or knowledgeable about the Swedish language would immediately recognize this name as belonging to a Swede or a descendant of Swedes.
Kjell is an ancient Norse name originating from the Viking era, meaning "pot" or "helmet." According to statistics from the Swedish Tax Agency (Swedish Tax Agency), there are currently 47,932 people named Kjell in Sweden. Although it was not the most popular newborn name after the 20th century, the electrical store Kjell & Company is a household name in Sweden, and the visibility of the name Kjell remains high.
According to data from the Swedish Tax Agency, Lindgren, Lindgren's surname, is also a typical Swedish surname formation, formed by combining two natural elements. Lind represents the linden tree, a common tree in Sweden, and Gren means branch. Currently, there are 22,267 people named Lindgren in Sweden, ranking 22nd among the most common surnames nationwide. The surname of the renowned children's literature author Astrid Lindgren is Lindgren.
When Kjell Lindgren carried out his mission to the International Space Station in 2015, Swedish media had once conducted research based on his name and connections to Sweden.
It is not a coincidence that Lindgren's name immediately indicates his Swedish background.
According to Swedish media reports at the time, Lindgren's ancestors came from Osby in Skåne Province, southern Sweden. Lindgren stated that although he does not visit Sweden frequently, he has inherited his ancestors' names and is clear about his bloodline and cultural inheritance.
At that time, Swedish astronaut Christer Fuglesang congratulated Lindgren on his successful mission on Twitter (now X), jokingly saying his name might be the most Swedish in all of space. Fuglesang's tweet ended with wishing Lindgren good luck in Swedish.
Lindgren's ancestor Kjell William Dahl emigrated from Sweden to the United States in 1902. According to the Emigrant Institute (Utvandranas hus), between 1846 and 1930, about 1.3 million Swedes emigrated to North America, with 1 million settling in the United States, accounting for nearly one-fifth of Sweden's population at the time.
The main reasons for the large-scale emigration of Swedes were poverty and famine. Sweden's industrialization was not high at the time, making it one of the poorer countries in Europe. Many people's livelihoods still depended on agriculture. To seek new opportunities and a better future, Swedes came to the New World.
Swedish immigrants often settled in the American Midwest. Minnesota had the largest number of Swedish immigrants at the time. The industrial city of Chicago was also very attractive, with nearly 50,000 Swedish residents by the end of the 19th century.
The province of Småland, where the reporter resides, is notoriously known for its infertile land and was the province with the largest number of emigrants at the time. Some elders in the family had emigrated to Canada, and many friends around have relatives in the United States, and they often encounter American descendants of Swedish origin who have "emigrated back" to Sweden.
Many descendants of Swedish immigrants in the United States place great importance on their cultural traditions and return to Sweden every year to visit relatives and trace their roots. Sweden even had a television program called Allt för Sverige, specifically for Americans tracing their roots to experience Swedish life and culture.
This history of mass emigration has had a profound impact on Sweden. It has not only produced much literary and film/television work but also prompted Sweden to improve living quality and build a "country with a future" to prevent further population outflow. Furthermore, the large population outflow created space for industrial mechanization. It is not an exaggeration to say that mass emigration propelled Sweden toward modernization.
Lindgren inherits the name of his great-grandfather, who emigrated from Sweden to the United States to forge a future, preserving this history and cultural background in his life through his name.
NASA astronaut Lindgren will participate in the US Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs' "American Abroad" citizen speaker program and will visit Taiwan from April 21 to 25 to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States through related activities of "Freedom 250."
Lindgren, born in Taiwan, has undertaken two long-duration missions to the space station, accumulating a total of 311 days working and living in space. He will arrive in Taiwan on the 21st, during which he will meet with high-level Taiwanese leaders and visit the National Space Organization, the National Cheng Kung University Xia Han-min Space Technology Center, and the Cube Satellite Research Center. (Editor: Chen Cheng-kung) 1150420
Stand with facts, your every sponsorship is a force to protect press freedom
Download CNA's "First News" APP and get the latest news in real-time
Text, images, and videos on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, or publicly transmitted and used without authorization.