2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bouterse
Surinamese surname of Dutch origin, potentially referring to a maker or seller of butter.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 115 Americans carry the last name Bouterse. That puts it at #155,682 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,980,473 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bouterse 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
115
1 in 2,980,473
Census rank
#155,682
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
100
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 100 bearers of the surname Bouterse in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155682nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bouterse, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.0%. The next largest groups are Black (2.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bouterse
The surname Bouterse is of Dutch origin, and it can be traced back to the Netherlands in the 16th century. The name is believed to have originated from a combination of the Dutch words "bout" and "ter," which together meant "at the bend" or "at the curve." This likely referred to someone who lived near a bend in a river or road.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Bouterse is found in the records of the city of Rotterdam, where a merchant named Pieter Bouterse is mentioned in a document dated 1587. In the 17th century, the name appeared in various records across the Netherlands, including in the city of Delft, where a family of Bouterses was involved in the textile trade.
During the Dutch Golden Age, the Bouterses were a prominent family in the city of Amsterdam. Cornelis Bouterse, a wealthy merchant born in 1642, was a notable figure who served as a city councilor and was involved in the city's governance. His son, Johan Bouterse (1678-1752), was a renowned painter whose works can be found in several museums in the Netherlands.
In the 18th century, members of the Bouterse family migrated to different parts of the world, including the Dutch colonies in the Caribbean. One such individual was Willem Bouterse (1723-1798), who settled in Suriname and became a successful plantation owner and trader.
Another notable Bouterse was Adriaan Bouterse (1856-1932), a Dutch explorer and writer who traveled extensively in Africa and Asia. He documented his adventures in several books, including "Travels in the Heart of Africa" and "Across the Untamed East," which were widely read in the Netherlands and beyond.
Throughout history, the Bouterse surname has also been associated with various place names and locations in the Netherlands. For example, there is a village called Boutersem in the province of Utrecht, and a street named Boutersstraat in the city of Groningen.
The Bouterse name has been carried by several other individuals over the centuries, including academics, artists, and political figures. However, it is important to note that this information focuses solely on the history and origins of the surname, and does not include details about its use as a first or given name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bouterse
Among Census respondents with the surname Bouterse, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.0%. The next largest groups are Black (2.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Bouterse 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 Bouterse surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.0% · 97
- Black or African American2.0% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bouterse
Bouterse 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
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-10 bearers (-8.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 20,207 places
2020
#155,682
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-4 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 362 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-8.8%) | Down 20,207 places |
| 2020 | #155,682 | 100 | 0.03 | -4 bearers (-3.8%) | Up 362 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 Bouterse 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 | #156,044 | #155,682 | 0.2% |
| Count | 104 | 100 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -16.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bouterse bearers went from 104 to 100 (-3.8% change). The surname moved up 362 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #155,682.
FAQ
Bouterse surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bouterse?
Name Census estimates that about 115 living Americans carry the surname Bouterse. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,980,473 residents.
How common is Bouterse?
Bouterse ranks #155,682 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 100 people with the surname Bouterse. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (115), 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 Bouterse.
Has Bouterse become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bouterse went from 104 recorded bearers to 100. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #155,682.
What does the Census say about the background of Bouterse?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bouterse, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.0%. The next largest groups are Black (2.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%). 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 Bouterse in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.0% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bouterse appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.0%), Black (2.0%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%). 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 Bouterse (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 Bouterse mean?
Surinamese surname of Dutch origin, potentially referring to a maker or seller of butter. 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 Bouterse (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 last name Bouterse?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Bouterse at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.