2000
#22,983
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,039
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.39
Rare Last name
Decoster
A habitational surname for someone from any of various places named De Coster.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,251 Americans carry the last name Decoster. That puts it at #23,940 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.37 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 273,984 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Decoster 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
1.3K
1 in 273,984
Census rank
#23,940
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,091 bearers of the surname Decoster in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.37 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 23940th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Decoster, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Black (5.2%) and Hispanic (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Decoster
Among Census respondents with the surname Decoster, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Black (5.2%) and Hispanic (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Decoster 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 Decoster surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.6% · 956
- Black or African American5.2% · 57
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 43
- Two or more races2.6% · 28
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Decoster
Decoster 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
#23,457
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,084
+45 bearers (+4.3%)
Per 100,000 0.37
Rank movement Down 474 places
2020
#23,940
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,091
+7 bearers (+0.6%)
Per 100,000 0.37
Rank movement Down 483 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #22,983 | 1,039 | 0.39 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #23,457 | 1,084 | 0.37 | +45 bearers (+4.3%) | Down 474 places |
| 2020 | #23,940 | 1,091 | 0.37 | +7 bearers (+0.6%) | Down 483 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 Decoster 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 | #23,457 | #23,940 | -2.1% |
| Count | 1,084 | 1,091 | 0.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.37 | 0.37 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Decoster bearers went from 1,084 to 1,091 (+0.6% change). The surname moved down 483 positions in the national ranking, going from #23,457 to #23,940.
FAQ
Decoster surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Decoster?
Name Census estimates that about 1,251 living Americans carry the surname Decoster. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 273,984 residents.
How common is Decoster?
Decoster ranks #23,940 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.37 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 1,091 people with the surname Decoster. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,251), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.37 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.37 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 Decoster.
Has Decoster become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Decoster went from 1,084 recorded bearers to 1,091. That is an increase of 7 (+0.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #23,457 to #23,940.
What does the Census say about the background of Decoster?
Among Census respondents with the surname Decoster, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Black (5.2%) and Hispanic (3.9%). 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 Decoster in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.6% (956 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Decoster appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.6%), Black (5.2%), Hispanic (3.9%). 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 Decoster (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 Decoster mean?
A habitational surname for someone from any of various places named De Coster. 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 Decoster (0.37 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 common is the surname Decoster?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Decoster is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.