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

Derk, 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 Derk surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Derk in America

Derk is the 48160th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Derk surname appeared 439 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 Derk.

We can also compare 2010 data for Derk 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 Derk

The surname DERK is of Dutch origin, emerging in the Netherlands during the late Middle Ages. It is believed to be a locational surname, derived from the Dutch town of Deurne, located in the province of North Brabant. The earliest known spelling of the place name was "Derne," which evolved into "Deurne" over time.

One of the earliest documented references to the surname DERK can be found in the Dutch municipal records of the city of Utrecht, dating back to the 15th century. In these records, a certain "Jan Derk" is mentioned as a resident of the city in the year 1472.

The DERK surname has also been traced back to the Dutch province of Friesland, where it was likely adopted by families who had migrated from the Deurne region. In the town of Leeuwarden, a "Pieter Derk" is recorded as a merchant in the 16th century.

During the 17th century, the DERK surname gained prominence in the Netherlands, particularly in the cities of Amsterdam and Rotterdam. Notable individuals from this period include the Dutch artist Johannes Derk (1625-1678), known for his landscape paintings, and the merchant Dirk Derk (1632-1690), who established trade routes between the Netherlands and the East Indies.

As Dutch settlers began to emigrate to other parts of the world, the DERK surname spread beyond the Netherlands. In the 18th century, a family bearing the name DERK settled in the Cape Colony of South Africa, where they became prominent farmers and landowners. One of their descendants, Pieter Derk (1789-1864), was a respected community leader and philanthropist.

Another notable person with the DERK surname was the German-born American artist Albert Derk (1845-1919), who was renowned for his landscape paintings and became a member of the prestigious National Academy of Design in New York City.

While the DERK surname has remained relatively uncommon compared to some other Dutch surnames, it has left a lasting legacy in various fields, including art, commerce, and community leadership, reflecting the diverse contributions of those who have borne this name throughout history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Derk

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

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

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

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