2010
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Heerspink
A Dutch surname referring to someone who walked with a limp or hobble.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Heerspink. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Heerspink 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Heerspink in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Heerspink, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Heerspink
The surname Heerspink is believed to have originated in the Netherlands, dating back to the 16th century. It is likely derived from the Dutch words "heer" meaning "lord" or "master" and "spink" referring to a small bird, perhaps a finch or sparrow. The combination of these words may have been used to describe someone who kept or bred these types of birds, or it could have been a nickname given to someone who had a particular affinity for them.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Heerspink surname can be found in the Dutch province of Friesland, where it appears in a document from the city of Leeuwarden dated 1583. This document mentions a certain Pieter Heerspink, a merchant involved in the local textile trade.
In the 17th century, the Heerspink name began to spread beyond Friesland to other parts of the Netherlands. Notable examples include Jan Heerspink (1627-1692), a renowned painter from Amsterdam known for his detailed still life works, and Aaltje Heerspink (1653-1721), a midwife who practiced in the city of Leiden and is mentioned in several birth records from that time period.
The Heerspink surname also appears in some historical records from the Dutch East Indies (present-day Indonesia), which was a Dutch colony from the 17th to the 20th century. One example is Dirk Heerspink (1773-1841), a merchant and plantation owner who lived and worked in Java.
As Dutch settlers began to migrate to other parts of the world, the Heerspink name travelled with them. In the late 19th century, for instance, a family with the surname Heerspink settled in the region of Punta Arenas in southern Chile, where they became involved in the local sheep farming industry.
Other notable individuals with the Heerspink surname include Gerrit Heerspink (1896-1972), a Dutch politician who served as a member of the House of Representatives in the 1950s, and Marinus Heerspink (1919-2003), a celebrated architect from Rotterdam known for his innovative designs and use of concrete.
While the Heerspink name may have originated from humble beginnings, it has left its mark on various aspects of history, from art and commerce to politics and architecture, across multiple continents.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Heerspink
Among Census respondents with the surname Heerspink, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Heerspink 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 Heerspink surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 107
Timeline
Historical Census data for Heerspink
Heerspink appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
+6 bearers (+5.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 8,073 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.9%) | Up 8,073 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 Heerspink 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 | #159,712 | #151,639 | 5.1% |
| Count | 101 | 107 | 5.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 19.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Heerspink bearers went from 101 to 107 (+5.9% change). The surname moved up 8,073 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #151,639.
FAQ
Heerspink surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Heerspink?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Heerspink. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Heerspink?
Heerspink ranks #151,639 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 107 people with the surname Heerspink. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Heerspink.
Has Heerspink become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Heerspink went from 101 recorded bearers to 107. That is an increase of 6 (+5.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Heerspink?
Among Census respondents with the surname Heerspink, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Heerspink in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Heerspink appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Heerspink (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 Heerspink mean?
A Dutch surname referring to someone who walked with a limp or hobble. 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 Heerspink (0.04 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 have the last name Heerspink?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Heerspink at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.