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

DeCoster, 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 DeCoster surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of DeCoster in America

DeCoster is the 23457th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The DeCoster surname appeared 1,084 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 DeCoster.

We can also compare 2010 data for DeCoster 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 DeCoster

The surname DECOSTER originates from Belgium, dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Dutch word "de koster," which translates to "the sexton" or "the church warden." The name was initially given as an occupational surname to individuals responsible for maintaining and overseeing the affairs of a church or parish.

Many early records of the DECOSTER name can be found in medieval Flemish manuscripts and church registers. One of the earliest known references is in the Annals of Ghent from the year 1187, which mentions a certain "Willelmus de Coster" as a prominent citizen of the city.

The DECOSTER surname has undergone various spelling variations over the centuries, such as De Coster, Decostere, and De Costers. These variations often reflected regional dialects and scribal preferences in different parts of Belgium and the Low Countries.

In the 14th century, a notable figure bearing the DECOSTER name was Jan de Coster, a renowned painter and illuminator from Bruges. His works can be found in several medieval manuscripts, including the famous Grimani Breviary, which is now housed in the Biblioteca Marciana in Venice.

During the 16th century, the DECOSTER family played a significant role in the religious and political upheavals of the Dutch Revolt against Spanish rule. Pieter de Coster, born in 1528 in Antwerp, was a Protestant reformer and theologian who actively supported the cause of religious freedom.

Another prominent individual with the DECOSTER surname was Cornelis de Coster, a 17th-century Flemish painter known for his exquisite still-life compositions. Born in Antwerp in 1615, his works can be found in prestigious collections across Europe, including the Louvre Museum in Paris.

In the realm of literature, the DECOSTER name gained recognition through the works of Charles-Théodore-Henri de Coster, a Belgian novelist and poet born in Munich in 1827. His most famous work, "The Legend of Thyl Ulenspiegel and Lamme Goedzak," is considered a seminal text in Flemish literature.

The DECOSTER surname has also been associated with notable figures in various fields, such as the Belgian architect Jean-Baptiste de Coster (1851-1926), known for his contributions to the Art Nouveau movement, and the French mathematician Achille-Gabriel-Gustave de Coster (1868-1945), who made significant advances in the field of differential geometry.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name DeCoster

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

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

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

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