2010
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bontekoe
A surname derived from the Dutch words "bonte" meaning "colorful" and "koe" meaning "cow".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Bontekoe. 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 Bontekoe 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 Bontekoe 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 Bontekoe, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Black (1.8%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bontekoe
The surname Bontekoe is of Dutch origin and can be traced back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated from the Dutch province of Holland, specifically in and around the city of Hoorn. The name is derived from the Dutch words "bonte" meaning "multicolored" and "koe" meaning "cow", likely referring to a spotted or piebald cow.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bontekoe can be found in the archives of the city of Hoorn, where a Willem Bontekoe is mentioned in a document dated 1587. Another early reference is in the baptismal records of the Dutch Reformed Church in Hoorn, where a Pieter Bontekoe is listed as the father of a child baptized in 1612.
The name gained prominence in the 17th century with the exploits of the Dutch seafarer and explorer Willem Ysbrantsz Bontekoe (c. 1587-1657). In 1618, Bontekoe embarked on a voyage to the East Indies as the chief merchant on the ship Nieuwe Hoorn. His ship was wrecked off the coast of Sumatra, and he and his crew spent several years stranded on the island before being rescued. Bontekoe's detailed account of their ordeal, published in 1646 under the title "Memorable and Tragic History", became a bestseller and established him as a renowned figure in Dutch maritime history.
Another notable bearer of the name was Cornelis Bontekoe (1640-1685), a Dutch naval officer and explorer. He served in various naval campaigns and voyages, including expeditions to the West Indies and along the coast of West Africa. Cornelis Bontekoe is also credited with the discovery and naming of the island of Saba in the Caribbean in 1675.
In the 18th century, the name Bontekoe can be found in the records of the Dutch East India Company (VOC). For instance, a Jan Bontekoe is listed as a captain in the employ of the VOC in the early 1700s, while a Pieter Bontekoe is recorded as a merchant working for the company in the 1760s.
One of the most famous individuals with the surname Bontekoe in more recent times was the Dutch sailor and author Hendrik Bontekoe (1855-1928). He served as a ship's captain and wrote several popular books about his seafaring adventures, including "Around the World in a Sailing Ship" and "Wanderings of a Sailor".
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bontekoe
Among Census respondents with the surname Bontekoe, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Black (1.8%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Bontekoe 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 Bontekoe surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.9% · 107
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bontekoe
Bontekoe 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
-3 bearers (-2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,387 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.6%) | Down 4,387 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 Bontekoe 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 | #142,108 | #146,495 | -3.1% |
| Count | 117 | 114 | -2.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bontekoe bearers went from 117 to 114 (-2.6% change). The surname moved down 4,387 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #146,495.
FAQ
Bontekoe surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bontekoe?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Bontekoe. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Bontekoe?
Bontekoe 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 Bontekoe. 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 Bontekoe.
Has Bontekoe become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bontekoe went from 117 recorded bearers to 114. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #142,108 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Bontekoe?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bontekoe, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Black (1.8%) and Hispanic (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 Bontekoe in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.9% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bontekoe appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.9%), Black (1.8%), Hispanic (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 Bontekoe (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 Bontekoe mean?
A surname derived from the Dutch words "bonte" meaning "colorful" and "koe" meaning "cow". 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 Bontekoe (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 last name Bontekoe?
Want to know how many people have the last name Bontekoe? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.