Find out how popular the last name Amster is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Amster.

Amster, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Amster surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Amster in America

Amster is the 30420th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Amster surname appeared 768 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Amster.

We can also compare 2010 data for Amster to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Amster

The surname AMSTER is believed to have originated in the Netherlands, specifically in the province of North Holland, during the medieval period. It is derived from the Dutch word "amstel," which refers to the Amstel River that flows through Amsterdam. The name likely originated as a place name, indicating someone who lived near or along the Amstel River.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname AMSTER dates back to the 14th century, when a merchant named Jan Amster was mentioned in a trade document from the city of Amsterdam. This suggests that the name was already in use as a surname by that time.

In the 15th century, the AMSTER surname appeared in various historical records across the Netherlands, including tax records and church registers. For instance, a farmer named Pieter Amster was recorded in the village of Amstelveen in 1457.

The AMSTER surname is also linked to several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest was Cornelis Amster, a Dutch painter who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. His works, primarily portraiture and still-life paintings, can be found in various museums across the Netherlands.

Another prominent figure with the AMSTER surname was Hans Amster, a Dutch architect and engineer who lived from 1591 to 1653. He was responsible for designing several iconic buildings in Amsterdam, including the Oude Kerk (Old Church) and the Westerkerk (Western Church).

In the 18th century, Jacob Amster (1732-1799) was a notable Dutch mathematician and astronomer. He made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics and was elected a member of the prestigious Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Moving into the 19th century, Willem Amster (1822-1897) was a Dutch politician and lawyer who served as the Minister of Justice for the Netherlands from 1877 to 1879.

Another notable AMSTER was Hendrik Amster (1870-1948), a Dutch writer and journalist who worked as a foreign correspondent for several Dutch newspapers, reporting on events across Europe and the United States.

While the AMSTER surname originated in the Netherlands, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and intermarriage. However, its roots can be traced back to the Dutch province of North Holland and the Amstel River, which played a significant role in the history and development of Amsterdam.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Amster

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Amster.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Amster was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Amster has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Amster was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Amster, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!