2010
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Adzema
Of Ewe origin, likely referring to someone from the town of Adzema in the Volta Region of Ghana.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 115 Americans carry the last name Adzema. That puts it at #155,682 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,980,473 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Adzema surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
115
1 in 2,980,473
Census rank
#155,682
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
100
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 100 bearers of the surname Adzema in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155682nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Adzema, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Adzema
The surname ADZEMA is believed to have originated in the Netherlands during the 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the Dutch word "atzema," which referred to a type of salt marsh or swampy area. This suggests that the name may have initially been given to someone who lived near or worked in such a region.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the ADZEMA name can be found in a Dutch census record from the year 1587, which lists a Willem Adzema residing in the town of Groningen. Another early reference is in the baptismal records of the Reformed Church of Amsterdam, where an Adriaan Adzema is mentioned in 1612.
In the 17th century, the ADZEMA name appears to have spread to other parts of Europe, likely due to migration and trade. In 1673, a merchant named Pieter Adzema is recorded as having been granted citizenship in the city of Hamburg, Germany.
A notable bearer of the ADZEMA name was Jan Adzema, a Dutch painter who lived from 1550 to 1617. He was known for his landscapes and depictions of rural life in the Netherlands.
In the 18th century, the ADZEMA name can be found in some historical records from the United States. For instance, a Johannes Adzema is listed as having served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War from 1777 to 1783.
Another prominent figure with the ADZEMA surname was Dirk Adzema, a Dutch politician and jurist who lived from 1782 to 1856. He served as the mayor of the town of Leeuwarden and was also a member of the Provincial States of Friesland.
As the ADZEMA name spread across various regions, different spellings and variations emerged, such as Adsema, Adsma, and Adzma. These slight changes in spelling often occurred due to regional dialects or transcription errors in written records.
While the ADZEMA name is relatively uncommon today, it continues to hold historical significance as a surname with roots in the Netherlands and a connection to the Dutch language and culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Adzema
Among Census respondents with the surname Adzema, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Adzema bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Adzema surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.0% · 99
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Adzema
Adzema appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#155,682
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-14 bearers (-12.3%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 10,462 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #155,682 | 100 | 0.03 | -14 bearers (-12.3%) | Down 10,462 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Adzema surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #145,220 | #155,682 | -7.2% |
| Count | 114 | 100 | -12.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -16.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Adzema bearers went from 114 to 100 (-12.3% change). The surname moved down 10,462 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #155,682.
FAQ
Adzema surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Adzema?
Name Census estimates that about 115 living Americans carry the surname Adzema. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,980,473 residents.
How common is Adzema?
Adzema ranks #155,682 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 100 people with the surname Adzema. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (115), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Adzema.
Has Adzema become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Adzema went from 114 recorded bearers to 100. That is a decrease of 14 (-12.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #145,220 to #155,682.
What does the Census say about the background of Adzema?
Among Census respondents with the surname Adzema, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.0%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Adzema in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.0% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Adzema appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.0%), Two or More Races (1.0%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Adzema (2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Adzema mean?
Of Ewe origin, likely referring to someone from the town of Adzema in the Volta Region of Ghana. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Adzema (0.03 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Adzema?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.