2000
#99,725
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 168
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Dewispelaere
A Dutch surname possibly meaning "from the white meadow" or "from the meadow belonging to the church."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 228 Americans carry the last name Dewispelaere. That puts it at #97,730 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,503,309 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dewispelaere 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
228
1 in 1,503,309
Census rank
#97,730
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
199
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 199 bearers of the surname Dewispelaere in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 97730th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dewispelaere, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dewispelaere
The surname DEWISPELAERE is believed to have originated in the Dutch-speaking regions of Belgium, specifically in the area around the city of Ghent in the East Flanders province. It likely dates back to the late medieval period, around the 14th or 15th century.
The name DEWISPELAERE appears to be derived from a combination of Dutch words, possibly "de wijs" (the wise) and "pelaere" (pillar or column). This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who was considered a wise or knowledgeable person, perhaps someone who served as a respected community leader or advisor.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name DEWISPELAERE can be found in a 16th-century census record from the town of Evergem, near Ghent. The document mentions a certain Jan DEWISPELAERE, who was likely a landowner or prominent citizen in the area at the time.
In the 17th century, there are records of a Pieter DEWISPELAERE, a successful merchant and trader based in Ghent. His business dealings and travels throughout the Low Countries may have contributed to the further spread of the surname across the region.
During the 18th century, a notable figure with the name DEWISPELAERE was Jan-Baptist DEWISPELAERE (1737-1809), a renowned architect and sculptor from Bruges. He was responsible for designing several churches and public buildings in the city, including the Church of Our Lady of the Potters.
Another prominent individual with this surname was Constant DEWISPELAERE (1809-1887), a Belgian politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Belgian Parliament in the mid-19th century.
In the 20th century, one of the most famous bearers of the DEWISPELAERE name was Marcel DEWISPELAERE (1912-1995), a renowned Belgian writer and poet who published several collections of poetry and prose works. He was also a respected academic and served as a professor of literature at the University of Ghent.
While the surname DEWISPELAERE is most commonly found in Belgium, it has also spread to other parts of Europe and even overseas, likely due to migration and immigration patterns over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dewispelaere
Among Census respondents with the surname Dewispelaere, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Dewispelaere 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 Dewispelaere surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.5% · 188
- Two or more races3.5% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dewispelaere
Dewispelaere 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
#96,799
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 188
+20 bearers (+11.9%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Up 2,926 places
2020
#97,730
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 199
+11 bearers (+5.9%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 931 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #99,725 | 168 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #96,799 | 188 | 0.06 | +20 bearers (+11.9%) | Up 2,926 places |
| 2020 | #97,730 | 199 | 0.07 | +11 bearers (+5.9%) | Down 931 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 Dewispelaere 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 | #96,799 | #97,730 | -1.0% |
| Count | 188 | 199 | 5.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.07 | 11.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dewispelaere bearers went from 188 to 199 (+5.9% change). The surname moved down 931 positions in the national ranking, going from #96,799 to #97,730.
FAQ
Dewispelaere surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dewispelaere?
Name Census estimates that about 228 living Americans carry the surname Dewispelaere. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,503,309 residents.
How common is Dewispelaere?
Dewispelaere ranks #97,730 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.07 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 199 people with the surname Dewispelaere. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (228), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.07 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 Dewispelaere.
Has Dewispelaere become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dewispelaere went from 188 recorded bearers to 199. That is an increase of 11 (+5.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #96,799 to #97,730.
What does the Census say about the background of Dewispelaere?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dewispelaere, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.5%). 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 Dewispelaere in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.5% (188 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dewispelaere appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.5%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.5%). 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 Dewispelaere (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 Dewispelaere mean?
A Dutch surname possibly meaning "from the white meadow" or "from the meadow belonging to the church." 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 Dewispelaere (0.07 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 people share the surname Dewispelaere?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.