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

DeFeyter, 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 DeFeyter surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of DeFeyter in America

DeFeyter is the 93513th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The DeFeyter surname appeared 196 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 DeFeyter.

We can also compare 2010 data for DeFeyter 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 DeFeyter

The surname DEFEYTER is believed to have originated in the Netherlands, with records of the name dating back to the 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the Dutch word "de feyter," which roughly translates to "the fighter" or "the courageous one." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone known for their bravery or military prowess.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in a Dutch census record from 1589, which lists a Jan Defeyter residing in the city of Amsterdam. This indicates that the name was already established in the region by the late 16th century.

In the 17th century, there are mentions of the DEFEYTER name in various Dutch historical documents, including legal records and property deeds. One notable example is a land grant dated 1637, which was issued to a Pieter Defeyter for a parcel of land in the Dutch colony of New Netherland (now part of New York).

As the Dutch began to establish colonies around the world, the DEFEYTER name spread to other regions. In the late 17th century, a man named Hendrik Defeyter is recorded as being one of the first Dutch settlers in the Cape Colony (now South Africa).

Over the centuries, variations in spelling emerged, including DEFYTER, DEFIETER, and DEFITTER. These variations were likely influenced by regional dialects and the phonetic adaptations made by record keepers.

Several notable individuals have borne the DEFEYTER name throughout history. One example is Willem Defeyter (1576-1638), a Dutch sea captain and explorer who is credited with being one of the first Europeans to discover the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean.

Another prominent figure was Joost Defeyter (1622-1691), a Dutch military commander who fought in the Anglo-Dutch Wars and played a crucial role in the defense of the Netherlands against French and Spanish forces.

In the 19th century, a Belgian artist named Jean-Baptiste Defeyter (1813-1879) gained recognition for his landscape paintings, many of which depicted scenes from his native Flanders region.

More recently, Pieter Defeyter (1892-1965), a Dutch theologian and philosopher, made significant contributions to the field of Christian ethics and wrote extensively on the relationship between faith and reason.

Finally, Yvonne Defeyter (born 1949) is a Dutch-born Australian author and academic who has published several works exploring the experiences of immigrants and multiculturalism in Australia.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name DeFeyter

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

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

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

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