2000
#141,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Beeksma
A surname with Dutch origins, likely referring to someone living near a small stream or brook.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Beeksma. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Beeksma 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Beeksma in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Beeksma, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Beeksma
The surname Beeksma has its origins in the Netherlands, specifically in the northern province of Friesland. It likely emerged in the 16th or 17th century, during the height of the Dutch Golden Age.
Beeksma is believed to be a topographic name, derived from the Dutch words "beek" meaning brook or stream, and "ma" signifying a meadow or low-lying area. This suggests that the name may have originated from a location situated near a brook or stream flowing through a meadow.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Beeksma can be found in the Frisian town of Leeuwarden's municipal records from the late 17th century. These archives document a Pieter Beeksma, a merchant who lived in the town during that period.
In the 18th century, the Beeksma family appears to have been well-established in the village of Buitenpost, also located in Friesland. Church records from that time mention several Beeksma families residing in the area.
A notable figure bearing the Beeksma name was Tjerk Beeksma, a prominent Frisian poet and writer who lived from 1783 to 1856. His work played a significant role in the preservation and promotion of the Frisian language and culture.
Another individual of historical significance was Douwe Beeksma, a Dutch politician who served as a member of the House of Representatives from 1933 to 1946. He was born in 1883 and passed away in 1962.
The Beeksma surname also has ties to the Netherlands' maritime history. Pieter Beeksma, born in 1817, was a renowned sea captain who commanded several ships during his career in the 19th century.
In the realm of academia, Siebren Beeksma, born in 1892, was a respected professor of mathematics at the University of Groningen. He made notable contributions to the field of algebraic geometry.
While the Beeksma name is predominantly associated with the Netherlands, it has also found its way to other parts of the world through emigration. For instance, there are records of Beeksma families settling in various regions of North America, particularly in the United States and Canada, from the late 19th and early 20th centuries onwards.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Beeksma
Among Census respondents with the surname Beeksma, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Beeksma 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 Beeksma surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.9% · 95
- Two or more races8.6% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.4% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 3
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Beeksma
Beeksma 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
#132,206
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
+20 bearers (+18.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 9,582 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-12 bearers (-9.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,822 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #141,788 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #132,206 | 128 | 0.04 | +20 bearers (+18.5%) | Up 9,582 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -12 bearers (-9.4%) | Down 12,822 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 Beeksma 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 | #132,206 | #145,028 | -9.7% |
| Count | 128 | 116 | -9.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Beeksma bearers went from 128 to 116 (-9.4% change). The surname moved down 12,822 positions in the national ranking, going from #132,206 to #145,028.
FAQ
Beeksma surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Beeksma?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Beeksma. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Beeksma?
Beeksma ranks #145,028 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 116 people with the surname Beeksma. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Beeksma.
Has Beeksma become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Beeksma went from 128 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 12 (-9.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #132,206 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Beeksma?
Among Census respondents with the surname Beeksma, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.4%). 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 Beeksma in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.9% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Beeksma appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.9%), Two or More Races (8.6%), American Indian/Alaska Native (3.4%). 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 Beeksma (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 Beeksma mean?
A surname with Dutch origins, likely referring to someone living near a small stream or brook. 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 Beeksma (0.04 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 Beeksma?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.