2000
#6,262
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,015
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.86
Rare Last name
Degroot
Derived from the Dutch words "de" meaning "the" and "groot" meaning "large" or "great," referring to a tall or big person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,104 Americans carry the last name Degroot. That puts it at #6,168 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 56,152 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Degroot 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Degroot with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.1K
1 in 56,152
Census rank
#6,168
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,323 bearers of the surname Degroot in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6168th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Degroot, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Degroot
The surname DEGROOT has its origins in the Netherlands, dating back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Dutch words "de" meaning "the" and "groot" meaning "large" or "great." The name likely referred to someone who was either physically large or of significant stature or importance in their community.
The earliest recorded instance of the name DEGROOT can be found in the Dutch city of Rotterdam in 1582, where a man named Pieter DEGROOT is mentioned in a church registry. The name also appears in various records and manuscripts from the 17th century in other parts of the Netherlands, such as Amsterdam and Utrecht.
One notable bearer of the name was Gerardus DEGROOT, a Dutch philosopher and jurist who lived from 1592 to 1652. He was a prominent figure in the field of natural law and his works, such as "De Jure Belli ac Pacis" (On the Law of War and Peace), had a significant influence on the development of international law.
In the 18th century, the name DEGROOT can be found in records from the Dutch East Indies (present-day Indonesia), where Dutch settlers and traders had established colonies. One such individual was Johannes DEGROOT, who was born in Batavia (now Jakarta) in 1720 and served as a Dutch colonial administrator.
Another notable person with the surname DEGROOT was Jan DEGROOT, a Dutch painter who lived from 1650 to 1721. He is known for his landscapes and genre paintings, which depicted scenes of everyday life in the Netherlands during the Golden Age of Dutch art.
The name DEGROOT has also been found in various place names throughout the Netherlands, such as Grootebroek and Grootegast, which further reflects its connection to the Dutch language and culture.
In more recent times, the surname DEGROOT has spread to other parts of the world, particularly through Dutch immigration and settlement. However, its historical roots can be traced back to the Netherlands, where it originated as a descriptive name for a person of significant size or importance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Degroot
Among Census respondents with the surname Degroot, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Degroot 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 Degroot surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 4,829
- Two or more races3.6% · 193
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 186
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 63
- Black or African American0.8% · 40
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Degroot
Degroot 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
#6,278
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,442
+427 bearers (+8.5%)
Per 100,000 1.84
Rank movement Down 16 places
2020
#6,168
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,323
-119 bearers (-2.2%)
Per 100,000 1.78
Rank movement Up 110 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,262 | 5,015 | 1.86 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,278 | 5,442 | 1.84 | +427 bearers (+8.5%) | Down 16 places |
| 2020 | #6,168 | 5,323 | 1.78 | -119 bearers (-2.2%) | Up 110 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 Degroot 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 | #6,278 | #6,168 | 1.8% |
| Count | 5,442 | 5,323 | -2.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.84 | 1.78 | -3.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Degroot bearers went from 5,442 to 5,323 (-2.2% change). The surname moved up 110 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,278 to #6,168.
FAQ
Degroot surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Degroot?
Name Census estimates that about 6,104 living Americans carry the surname Degroot. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 56,152 residents.
How common is Degroot?
Degroot ranks #6,168 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.78 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,323 people with the surname Degroot. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,104), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.78 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.78 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Degroot.
Has Degroot become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Degroot went from 5,442 recorded bearers to 5,323. That is a decrease of 119 (-2.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,278 to #6,168.
What does the Census say about the background of Degroot?
Among Census respondents with the surname Degroot, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Degroot in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (4,829 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Degroot appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Degroot (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 Degroot mean?
Derived from the Dutch words "de" meaning "the" and "groot" meaning "large" or "great," referring to a tall or big person. 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 Degroot (1.78 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 many Americans have the surname Degroot?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.