DeWaard last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of DeWaard

Dutch surname derived from a place name meaning "from the ward or dike".

DeWaard, 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 DeWaard surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of DeWaard in America

DeWaard is the 49824th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The DeWaard surname appeared 421 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 DeWaard.

We can also compare 2010 data for DeWaard 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 49824 46331 7.27%
Count 421 433 -2.81%
Proportion per 100k 0.14 0.16 -13.33%

The history of the last name DeWaard

The surname DEWAARD is of Dutch origin, deriving from the Old Dutch words "de" meaning "the" and "waard" meaning "marsh" or "fen". This indicates that the name likely originated from individuals who lived in or near a marsh or fen area in the Netherlands.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname DEWAARD can be traced back to the 15th century in various Dutch records and documents. One notable mention is found in the "Archieven van de Ridderlijke Duitsche Orde, Balie van Utrecht" from 1493, which references a Gerrit DEWAARD.

In the 16th century, the surname DEWAARD appeared in several Dutch townships and villages, suggesting its spread across different regions. Notable examples include Jan DEWAARD, born in Leiden in 1537, and Pieter DEWAARD, a merchant from Amsterdam born in 1562.

The DEWAARD name has also been associated with certain place names, such as the village of Waard in the province of Friesland, which may have influenced the surname's development.

Throughout history, several individuals with the surname DEWAARD have achieved notable recognition. One such figure was Hendrik DEWAARD, a Dutch philosopher and theologian born in 1685 in Rotterdam, who made significant contributions to the study of Cartesian philosophy.

Another prominent individual was Cornelis DEWAARD, a Dutch painter born in 1696 in Haarlem, known for his landscape and still-life paintings that captured the Dutch Golden Age.

In the 19th century, Pieter DEWAARD (1819-1887) was a Dutch politician and journalist who played a significant role in the formation of the Liberal Party in the Netherlands.

The DEWAARD surname has also been associated with notable figures in more recent times, such as Dirk DEWAARD (1886-1961), a Dutch architect known for his work on various public buildings in the Netherlands.

While the surname DEWAARD is primarily of Dutch origin, it has also been adopted by individuals in other countries, particularly those with Dutch ancestry or connections to the Netherlands.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name DeWaard

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

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 DeWaard was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 95.72% 403
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 1.43% 6
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.43% 6
Hispanic Origin (S)% (S)

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 DeWaard has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 95.72% 95.61% 0.11%
Black (S)% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander 1.43% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races 1.43% 2.54% -55.92%
Hispanic (S)% (S)% (S)%

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

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

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"DeWaard last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on July 7, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/dewaard-surname-popularity/.

"DeWaard last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/dewaard-surname-popularity/. Accessed 7 July, 2025

DeWaard last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/dewaard-surname-popularity/.

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