2000
#30,716
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 716
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.27
Very Rare Last name
Amster
A Dutch surname derived from the city of Amsterdam.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 852 Americans carry the last name Amster. That puts it at #33,067 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.25 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 402,294 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Amster 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
852
1 in 402,294
Census rank
#33,067
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
743
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 743 bearers of the surname Amster in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.25 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 33067th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Amster, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Amster
Among Census respondents with the surname Amster, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Amster 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 Amster surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.1% · 677
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 25
- Two or more races3.1% · 23
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 9
- Black or African American1.1% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Amster
Amster appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#30,420
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 768
+52 bearers (+7.3%)
Per 100,000 0.26
Rank movement Up 296 places
2020
#33,067
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 743
-25 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 0.25
Rank movement Down 2,647 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #30,716 | 716 | 0.27 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #30,420 | 768 | 0.26 | +52 bearers (+7.3%) | Up 296 places |
| 2020 | #33,067 | 743 | 0.25 | -25 bearers (-3.3%) | Down 2,647 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 Amster 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 | #30,420 | #33,067 | -8.7% |
| Count | 768 | 743 | -3.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.26 | 0.25 | -4.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Amster bearers went from 768 to 743 (-3.3% change). The surname moved down 2,647 positions in the national ranking, going from #30,420 to #33,067.
FAQ
Amster surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Amster?
Name Census estimates that about 852 living Americans carry the surname Amster. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 402,294 residents.
How common is Amster?
Amster ranks #33,067 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.25 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 743 people with the surname Amster. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (852), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.25 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.25 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 Amster.
Has Amster become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Amster went from 768 recorded bearers to 743. That is a decrease of 25 (-3.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #30,420 to #33,067.
What does the Census say about the background of Amster?
Among Census respondents with the surname Amster, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Amster in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (677 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Amster appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.1%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Amster (2000, 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 Amster mean?
A Dutch surname derived from the city of Amsterdam. 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 Amster (0.25 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 Americans have the surname Amster?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.