2000
#37,938
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 550
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.20
Very Rare Last name
Fennema
A surname with Dutch origins referring to someone from the fen or marsh.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 721 Americans carry the last name Fennema. That puts it at #37,959 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 475,387 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fennema 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
721
1 in 475,387
Census rank
#37,959
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
629
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 629 bearers of the surname Fennema in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 37959th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fennema, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fennema
The surname Fennema has its origins in the Netherlands. It is believed to have derived from the Dutch word "fen," which means marsh or swamp, and "heem," meaning home or settlement. This suggests that the earliest bearers of this name lived near or came from a marshy or swampy area.
The name Fennema can be traced back to the 16th century in the Netherlands. Records from that time show variations in the spelling, such as Fennemae, Fennehemae, and Fenneheme. These variations are likely due to regional dialects and the influence of local languages.
One of the earliest known references to the name Fennema can be found in the Leiden archives from the year 1587. This document mentions a person named Jan Fennema, who was a merchant in the city of Leiden.
In the 17th century, the name Fennema appears in several Dutch records, including church registers and tax records. For example, a record from the year 1632 mentions a Pieter Fennema, who was a farmer in the village of Oostermeer.
During the 18th century, the Fennema family spread to other parts of the Netherlands and beyond. In the year 1756, a man named Gerrit Fennema emigrated from the Netherlands to South Africa, where he became a successful farmer and landowner.
One notable person with the surname Fennema was Jacobus Fennema, who was born in 1771 in the town of Dokkum, Netherlands. He was a renowned painter and is known for his landscapes and portraits of the Dutch countryside.
Another significant figure with this surname was Willem Fennema, born in 1879 in the city of Amsterdam. He was a prominent architect and designed several iconic buildings in the Netherlands, including the Amsterdam Stock Exchange.
In the 20th century, the name Fennema continued to be found in various parts of the world. For instance, Meindert Fennema, born in 1908 in the Netherlands, was a renowned linguist and scholar who made significant contributions to the study of Dutch dialects.
Another notable person with the Fennema surname was Adriana Fennema, born in 1920 in the Netherlands. She was a pioneering feminist and activist who fought for women's rights and gender equality in the Netherlands.
The surname Fennema has also been carried by several athletes and sports personalities. For example, Remco Fennema, born in 1972 in the Netherlands, was a professional cyclist who competed in various international cycling events.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fennema
Among Census respondents with the surname Fennema, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Fennema 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 Fennema surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.3% · 568
- Hispanic or Latino4.9% · 31
- Two or more races3.7% · 23
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fennema
Fennema 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
#37,076
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 602
+52 bearers (+9.5%)
Per 100,000 0.20
Rank movement Up 862 places
2020
#37,959
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 629
+27 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 0.21
Rank movement Down 883 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #37,938 | 550 | 0.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #37,076 | 602 | 0.20 | +52 bearers (+9.5%) | Up 862 places |
| 2020 | #37,959 | 629 | 0.21 | +27 bearers (+4.5%) | Down 883 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 Fennema 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 | #37,076 | #37,959 | -2.4% |
| Count | 602 | 629 | 4.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.20 | 0.21 | 5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fennema bearers went from 602 to 629 (+4.5% change). The surname moved down 883 positions in the national ranking, going from #37,076 to #37,959.
FAQ
Fennema surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fennema?
Name Census estimates that about 721 living Americans carry the surname Fennema. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 475,387 residents.
How common is Fennema?
Fennema ranks #37,959 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.21 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 629 people with the surname Fennema. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (721), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.21 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 Fennema.
Has Fennema become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fennema went from 602 recorded bearers to 629. That is an increase of 27 (+4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #37,076 to #37,959.
What does the Census say about the background of Fennema?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fennema, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Fennema in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.3% (568 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fennema appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.3%), Hispanic (4.9%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Fennema (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 Fennema mean?
A surname with Dutch origins referring to someone from the fen or marsh. 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 Fennema (0.21 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 Fennema?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.