2010
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Biersteker
A Dutch surname deriving from a beer brewer or tapster occupation.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Biersteker. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Biersteker 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Biersteker in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Biersteker, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.8%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Biersteker
The surname Biersteker is of Dutch origin, originating in the Low Countries region during the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Dutch words "bier" meaning beer, and "steker" which translates to tapper or pourer. This suggests that the name may have been an occupational surname initially given to someone who worked as a beer server or tapster.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Biersteker name can be found in the archives of the city of Amsterdam, dating back to the late 16th century. A document from 1592 mentions a certain Jan Biersteker, who was a merchant and tavern owner residing in the city's bustling center.
The Biersteker name also appears in several historical records from the 17th and 18th centuries, particularly in the regions of North and South Holland. During this time, the name underwent various spelling variations, such as Biersteker, Bierstecker, and Biersteecker, reflecting the evolving linguistic trends of the time.
In the 19th century, a notable bearer of the Biersteker name was Willem Biersteker, a Dutch painter and artist born in 1825 in The Hague. His works, primarily depicting landscapes and coastal scenes, were exhibited in several prestigious galleries across Europe during his lifetime.
Another prominent figure was Adriaan Biersteker, born in 1878 in Rotterdam. He was a renowned architect and urban planner who played a significant role in the development of several Dutch cities, including Amsterdam and Eindhoven, in the early 20th century.
Jumping further back in time, the Biersteker name appears to have roots in the town of Biervliet, located in the province of Zeeland. Historical records from the 14th century mention a family called "van Biervliet," which could potentially be an earlier variation of the Biersteker surname, derived from the place name.
Gerrit Biersteker, born in 1652 in Leiden, was a respected scholar and theologian who served as a professor at the University of Leiden, contributing to the fields of philosophy and religious studies during the Dutch Golden Age.
In the 20th century, one notable individual bearing the Biersteker name was Thomas Biersteker, a renowned international relations scholar and author, born in 1950 in the United States. His works focused on topics such as global governance, security, and international organizations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Biersteker
Among Census respondents with the surname Biersteker, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.8%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Biersteker 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 Biersteker surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.4% · 83
- Hispanic or Latino10.8% · 11
- Two or more races2.9% · 3
- Black or African American2.0% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.0% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Biersteker
Biersteker 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
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-5 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 2,127 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -5 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 2,127 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 Biersteker 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 | #152,628 | #154,755 | -1.4% |
| Count | 107 | 102 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Biersteker bearers went from 107 to 102 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 2,127 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #154,755.
FAQ
Biersteker surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Biersteker?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Biersteker. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Biersteker?
Biersteker ranks #154,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 102 people with the surname Biersteker. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Biersteker.
Has Biersteker become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Biersteker went from 107 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #152,628 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Biersteker?
Among Census respondents with the surname Biersteker, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.8%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Biersteker in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.4% (83 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Biersteker appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.4%), Hispanic (10.8%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Biersteker (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 Biersteker mean?
A Dutch surname deriving from a beer brewer or tapster occupation. 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 Biersteker (0.03 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 Biersteker?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.