2010
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Bekkum
A toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "little stream" in Dutch.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Bekkum. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bekkum 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Bekkum in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bekkum, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bekkum
The surname BEKKUM is of Dutch origin, with its roots tracing back to the medieval period in the Netherlands. It is believed to be a toponymic surname, derived from a place name that once existed in the region.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name BEKKUM can be found in the Oorkondenboek van Holland en Zeeland, a collection of historical documents from the 13th century. In this record, a certain "Willeboldus van Bekkum" is mentioned in association with a land transaction in the year 1267.
During the 14th and 15th centuries, the name BEKKUM appeared sporadically in various records and manuscripts, such as the Goudse Kameraarssrekeningen (accounts of the city of Gouda) and the Archieven van de Kloosters in de Nederlanden (archives of monasteries in the Netherlands). These records suggest that the name was primarily concentrated in the western regions of the Netherlands, particularly around the cities of Gouda and Rotterdam.
The name BEKKUM is thought to be derived from the Old Dutch word "beke," meaning "stream" or "brook," and the suffix "-um," which was commonly used to indicate a place or settlement. It is likely that the original place name referred to a location near a small stream or waterway.
One notable bearer of the name BEKKUM was Hendrik Bekkum, a 16th-century Dutch theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation in the Netherlands. He was born in Zwolle in 1520 and died in Emden in 1598.
Another individual of note was Jan Bekkum, a 17th-century Dutch Golden Age painter known for his landscapes and genre scenes. He was born in Amsterdam in 1628 and died in the same city in 1700.
During the 18th century, the name BEKKUM continued to appear in various records, including the Particuliere Notulen van de Staten van Holland en West-Friesland (private notes of the States of Holland and West Friesland). One notable bearer from this period was Gerrit Bekkum, a merchant and ship owner from Rotterdam, who lived from 1712 to 1782.
In the 19th century, the name BEKKUM gained some prominence with the birth of Willem Bekkum (1825-1901), a Dutch politician and journalist who served as a member of the House of Representatives for the city of Leiden.
Another notable figure from this era was Adriaan Bekkum (1854-1923), a Dutch industrialist and founder of the Bekkum & Co. shipyard in Rotterdam. His company played a significant role in the development of the Dutch shipbuilding industry during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bekkum
Among Census respondents with the surname Bekkum, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Bekkum 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 Bekkum surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.9% · 107
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 3
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bekkum
Bekkum 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
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+13 bearers (+12.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 13,217 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +13 bearers (+12.9%) | Up 13,217 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 Bekkum 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 | #159,712 | #146,495 | 8.3% |
| Count | 101 | 114 | 12.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 27.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bekkum bearers went from 101 to 114 (+12.9% change). The surname moved up 13,217 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #146,495.
FAQ
Bekkum surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bekkum?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Bekkum. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Bekkum?
Bekkum ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Bekkum. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Bekkum.
Has Bekkum become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bekkum went from 101 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 13 (+12.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Bekkum?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bekkum, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Bekkum in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.9% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bekkum appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.9%), Hispanic (2.6%), Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Bekkum (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 Bekkum mean?
A toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "little stream" in Dutch. 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 Bekkum (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 common is the surname Bekkum?
See how many people have the last name Bekkum on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.