Find out how popular the last name Braaksma is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Braaksma.

Braaksma, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Braaksma surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Braaksma in America

Braaksma is the 45026th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Braaksma surname appeared 476 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Braaksma.

We can also compare 2010 data for Braaksma to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Braaksma

The surname Braaksma is of Dutch origin, tracing its roots back to the 16th century in the Netherlands. It is believed to have originated from the Dutch words "braak" meaning fallow or uncultivated land, and "sma" which is a suffix indicating a small area or place. This suggests that the name Braaksma may have initially referred to someone who lived or worked on a piece of uncultivated land.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Braaksma can be found in the Leiden archival records from the year 1598, where a certain Cornelis Braaksma is mentioned. This indicates that the name was already in use by the late 16th century in the Dutch city of Leiden.

In the 17th century, the name Braaksma appears in several church records and legal documents from the provinces of Friesland and Groningen in the northern Netherlands. This suggests that the name may have originated or been particularly prevalent in these regions.

The earliest known bearer of the name Braaksma was Pieter Braaksma, who was born in the village of Harlingen, Friesland, in 1612. He was a prominent merchant and ship owner, and his descendants continued to play an important role in the maritime trade in the Netherlands.

Another notable figure with the surname Braaksma was Wybren Braaksma, born in 1695 in the town of Franeker, Friesland. He was a renowned scholar and professor of theology at the University of Franeker, and authored several influential works on religious philosophy.

In the 18th century, the name Braaksma can be found in various records from the Dutch provinces of Overijssel and Drenthe, indicating that the name had spread to other parts of the Netherlands by this time.

One of the most prominent individuals with the surname Braaksma was Johannes Braaksma, born in 1772 in the city of Groningen. He was a highly respected lawyer and served as the mayor of Groningen from 1815 to 1824, during the early years of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Another noteworthy bearer of the name was Antje Braaksma, born in 1798 in the village of Buitenpost, Friesland. She was a celebrated writer and poet, and her works were widely published and acclaimed during the 19th century Dutch literary renaissance.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Braaksma

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Braaksma.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Braaksma was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Braaksma has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Braaksma was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Braaksma, please contact us.

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