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

DeBoer, 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 DeBoer surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of DeBoer in America

DeBoer is the 4543rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The DeBoer surname appeared 7,798 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname DeBoer.

We can also compare 2010 data for DeBoer 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 DeBoer

The surname DEBOER originated in the Netherlands and is derived from the Dutch words "de" meaning "the" and "boer" meaning "farmer" or "peasant". It was primarily used as an occupational surname, referring to someone who worked as a farmer or came from a family of farmers.

The name first appeared in Dutch records as early as the 12th century, with variations in spelling such as de Boer, DeBoer, and Deboer. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Guelders Charters, a collection of legal documents from the former Duchy of Guelders, dated around 1200.

In the 14th century, the name was also found in the records of the city of Amsterdam, indicating its presence in urban areas as well as rural areas. During this time, the spelling was often standardized as DeBoer or Deboer.

One notable figure with this surname was Pieter de Boer (1809-1887), a Dutch politician and jurist who served as the Minister of Justice in the Netherlands from 1860 to 1861. Another was Hendrik Gerard de Boer (1843-1923), a Dutch painter known for his landscapes and portraits.

In the United States, the name DEBOER can be traced back to the early Dutch settlers in New Amsterdam (later renamed New York) in the 17th century. One of the earliest recorded instances was Pieter Jansen DeBoer, who arrived in New Amsterdam in 1647 and was granted land on Manhattan Island.

Another prominent individual with this surname was Jacob DeBoer (1832-1903), a Dutch-American businessman and philanthropist who co-founded the DeBoer-Witzenburg Company, a successful furniture manufacturing company in Holland, Michigan.

In the 19th century, the name DEBOER also appeared in historical records from other parts of the world, such as South Africa, where Dutch settlers had established colonies. One notable figure was Christiaan Rudolph de Boer (1860-1929), a South African lawyer and politician who served as the Attorney-General of the Cape Colony from 1900 to 1910.

Over time, the surname DEBOER has spread to various countries and regions, but its origins can be traced back to the Netherlands and its original meaning as an occupational surname related to farming and agriculture.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name DeBoer

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

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 DeBoer 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 DeBoer 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 DeBoer was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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