2000
#54,880
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 351
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.13
Very Rare Last name
Bajema
A Dutch surname likely meaning someone from the town or region of Bajem.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 464 Americans carry the last name Bajema. That puts it at #54,873 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.14 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 738,695 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bajema 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
464
1 in 738,695
Census rank
#54,873
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
405
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 405 bearers of the surname Bajema in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.14 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 54873rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bajema, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bajema
The surname Bajema originated in the Netherlands, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Dutch word "beijen," meaning "to ring bells," and may have been an occupational name for a bell ringer or church sexton.
The Bajema name was particularly prevalent in the northern Dutch provinces of Friesland and Groningen, where many families bearing this surname can be traced back to the 17th and 18th centuries. Records from this time period indicate that the name was sometimes spelled as "Bayema" or "Baijema," reflecting regional variations in pronunciation and spelling conventions.
One of the earliest documented individuals with the Bajema surname was Dirk Bajema, born in 1624 in the village of Buitenpost, Friesland. He was a farmer and landowner, and his descendants continued to live in the region for generations.
In the 19th century, a notable figure bearing the Bajema name was Pieter Bajema, a prominent lawyer and politician in Groningen. Born in 1818, he served as a member of the Provincial States of Groningen and was actively involved in local governance.
Another historical figure of note was Johannes Bajema, a Dutch theologian and minister who lived from 1822 to 1895. He was a prolific writer and published numerous works on religious subjects, including a widely respected commentary on the Book of Revelation.
Across the Atlantic, the Bajema surname also took root in North America, with Dutch immigrants carrying the name to the United States and Canada in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. One such individual was Arjen Bajema, born in 1876 in Friesland, who immigrated to the United States in 1904 and settled in Michigan.
Another notable bearer of the Bajema name was Gerrit Bajema, a Dutch-American farmer and community leader who lived from 1870 to 1948. He was instrumental in establishing the Holland Marsh area in Ontario, Canada, as a hub for Dutch immigrant farmers.
While the Bajema surname may have originated as an occupational name, over the centuries it has become firmly established as a distinct family name, with its roots firmly planted in the Netherlands and a rich history spanning several centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bajema
Among Census respondents with the surname Bajema, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Bajema 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 Bajema surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.8% · 376
- Two or more races3.0% · 12
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 5
- Black or African American0.2% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bajema
Bajema 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
#52,736
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 393
+42 bearers (+12.0%)
Per 100,000 0.13
Rank movement Up 2,144 places
2020
#54,873
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 405
+12 bearers (+3.1%)
Per 100,000 0.14
Rank movement Down 2,137 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #54,880 | 351 | 0.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #52,736 | 393 | 0.13 | +42 bearers (+12.0%) | Up 2,144 places |
| 2020 | #54,873 | 405 | 0.14 | +12 bearers (+3.1%) | Down 2,137 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 Bajema 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 | #52,736 | #54,873 | -4.1% |
| Count | 393 | 405 | 3.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.13 | 0.14 | 4.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bajema bearers went from 393 to 405 (+3.1% change). The surname moved down 2,137 positions in the national ranking, going from #52,736 to #54,873.
FAQ
Bajema surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bajema?
Name Census estimates that about 464 living Americans carry the surname Bajema. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 738,695 residents.
How common is Bajema?
Bajema ranks #54,873 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.14 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 405 people with the surname Bajema. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (464), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.14 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.14 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 Bajema.
Has Bajema become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bajema went from 393 recorded bearers to 405. That is an increase of 12 (+3.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #52,736 to #54,873.
What does the Census say about the background of Bajema?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bajema, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Bajema in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (376 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bajema appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.8%), Two or More Races (3.0%), Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Bajema (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 Bajema mean?
A Dutch surname likely meaning someone from the town or region of Bajem. 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 Bajema (0.14 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 Bajema?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.