2000
#125,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Heidema
A Dutch surname derived from a place name meaning "heathland" or "wasteland".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Heidema. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Heidema 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Heidema in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Heidema, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Heidema
The surname HEIDEMA is of Dutch origin, derived from the elements 'heide' meaning 'heath' or 'heathland' and 'ma' meaning 'meadow' or 'plain'. It likely originated in the Netherlands during the Middle Ages, referring to someone who lived near a heathland or meadow area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of this surname dates back to the late 15th century, with a reference to a Heydema family living in the province of Friesland. The name appeared in various spellings such as Heidema, Heidama, and Heydama in historical records from that region.
In the 16th century, the name HEIDEMA can be found in the Dithmarschen area of present-day Germany, which was then part of the Duchy of Holstein. This suggests that the name may have spread from the Netherlands to neighboring regions through migration or trade.
One notable bearer of the HEIDEMA surname was Pieter Heidema, a Dutch Golden Age painter who lived from 1648 to 1705. He is known for his still-life paintings and scenes depicting everyday life in the Netherlands during that period.
Another historical figure with this surname was Jan Heidema, a Dutch merchant and trader who lived in the late 17th century. He was involved in the Dutch East India Company's trade activities in the East Indies, particularly in present-day Indonesia.
In the 19th century, a branch of the HEIDEMA family can be traced to the town of Sneek in the province of Friesland, Netherlands. One member of this family, Pieter Heidema, born in 1823, was a prominent businessman and local politician who served as a member of the municipal council.
Other notable individuals with the HEIDEMA surname include Jelle Heidema, a Dutch writer and poet who lived from 1890 to 1973, and Hendrik Heidema, a Dutch politician and member of the House of Representatives in the early 20th century.
While the HEIDEMA surname is predominantly found in the Netherlands and surrounding regions, it has also spread to other parts of the world through migration, particularly to North America and Australia, where descendants of Dutch immigrants can be found bearing this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Heidema
Among Census respondents with the surname Heidema, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Heidema 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 Heidema surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.0% · 115
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 3
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Heidema
Heidema 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
#126,765
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 135
+9 bearers (+7.1%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 1,126 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-14 bearers (-10.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,544 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #125,639 | 126 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #126,765 | 135 | 0.05 | +9 bearers (+7.1%) | Down 1,126 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | -14 bearers (-10.4%) | Down 14,544 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 Heidema 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 | #126,765 | #141,309 | -11.5% |
| Count | 135 | 121 | -10.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -19.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Heidema bearers went from 135 to 121 (-10.4% change). The surname moved down 14,544 positions in the national ranking, going from #126,765 to #141,309.
FAQ
Heidema surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Heidema?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Heidema. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Heidema?
Heidema ranks #141,309 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 121 people with the surname Heidema. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), 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 Heidema.
Has Heidema become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Heidema went from 135 recorded bearers to 121. That is a decrease of 14 (-10.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #126,765 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Heidema?
Among Census respondents with the surname Heidema, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Heidema in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.0% (115 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Heidema appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.0%), Hispanic (2.5%), Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Heidema (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 Heidema mean?
A Dutch surname derived from a place name meaning "heathland" or "wasteland". 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 Heidema (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 common is the surname Heidema?
Find out how common the surname Heidema is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.