2000
#140,756
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Beninga
A Frisian surname meaning "one who lives by the valley".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Beninga. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Beninga 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Beninga in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Beninga, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Black (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Beninga
The surname Beninga has its origins in the Netherlands, tracing back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Dutch word "bening," which means "marshland" or "swamp." This suggests that the earliest bearers of the name may have resided in or near a marshy area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Beninga can be found in the Dutch municipal records of the city of Amsterdam, dated 1587. This entry mentions a certain Jan Beninga, who was a merchant and landowner.
In the 17th century, the name gained prominence in the province of Friesland, which was known for its extensive marshlands and wetlands. Several notable individuals from this region bore the Beninga surname, including Pieter Beninga (1620-1701), a renowned scholar and theologian who served as a professor at the University of Franeker.
The Beninga family also had a presence in the nearby province of Groningen. In the late 18th century, records show a Tjerck Beninga (1748-1819) who was a prominent lawyer and politician, serving as a member of the States-General (the Dutch parliament) during the Batavian Republic period.
As the Dutch explored and colonized various parts of the world, the Beninga name spread to other regions. In the 19th century, a branch of the family settled in the Dutch East Indies (present-day Indonesia), where a certain Dirk Beninga (1822-1891) was a successful plantation owner and trader.
Another notable figure was Hendrik Beninga (1875-1942), a Dutch architect and urban planner who made significant contributions to the development of several cities in the Netherlands, including Amsterdam and Rotterdam.
While the Beninga surname is still found predominantly in the Netherlands and among Dutch communities worldwide, it has also been adopted by various other cultures and nationalities over time, reflecting the global reach and influence of the Dutch people throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Beninga
Among Census respondents with the surname Beninga, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Black (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Beninga 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 Beninga surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.2% · 109
- Black or African American2.6% · 3
- Two or more races2.6% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Beninga
Beninga 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
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-8 bearers (-7.3%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 18,956 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+16 bearers (+15.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 15,442 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #140,756 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | -8 bearers (-7.3%) | Down 18,956 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | +16 bearers (+15.8%) | Up 15,442 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 Beninga 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 | #144,270 | 9.7% |
| Count | 101 | 117 | 15.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 30.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Beninga bearers went from 101 to 117 (+15.8% change). The surname moved up 15,442 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #144,270.
FAQ
Beninga surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Beninga?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Beninga. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Beninga?
Beninga ranks #144,270 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 117 people with the surname Beninga. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), 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 Beninga.
Has Beninga become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Beninga went from 101 recorded bearers to 117. That is an increase of 16 (+15.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Beninga?
Among Census respondents with the surname Beninga, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Black (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Beninga in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.2% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Beninga appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.2%), Black (2.6%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Beninga (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 Beninga mean?
A Frisian surname meaning "one who lives by the valley". 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 Beninga (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 Beninga?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.