Herrema last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Herrema

An occupational surname referring to a homestead manager or steward.

Herrema, 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 Herrema surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Herrema in America

Herrema is the 62045th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Herrema surname appeared 323 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 Herrema.

We can also compare 2010 data for Herrema 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 62045 73659 -17.12%
Count 323 245 27.46%
Proportion per 100k 0.11 0.09 20.00%

The history of the last name Herrema

The surname HERREMA originated in the Netherlands during the late Middle Ages. It is derived from the Dutch word "heer," which means "lord" or "master," and the suffix "-ema," which is a common patronymic ending indicating "son of." This suggests that the name likely referred to the son of a lord or nobleman.

The earliest recorded instances of the HERREMA surname can be traced back to the 15th century in various regions of the Netherlands, particularly in the provinces of Friesland and Groningen. This name was often associated with families of noble or influential status in these areas.

In the 16th century, the HERREMA name appeared in several historical records and documents, including land registries and church records. One notable example is the mention of a Johan HERREMA, who was a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of Leeuwarden, Friesland, in the late 1500s.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the HERREMA name continued to be found across the Netherlands, with some bearers achieving notable positions and recognition. For instance, Pieter HERREMA (1620-1689) was a Dutch Golden Age painter known for his landscapes and marine scenes.

Another notable figure was Sybrand HERREMA (1701-1778), a Dutch mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics and the calculation of planetary orbits.

In the 19th century, a branch of the HERREMA family migrated to the United States, where they settled in various regions, including the Midwest and the Great Plains states. One prominent individual from this era was Hendrik HERREMA (1832-1912), a Dutch-American farmer and landowner who played a role in the early settlement and development of the town of Orange City, Iowa.

Throughout its history, the HERREMA surname has been associated with various place names and localities in the Netherlands, such as Heerema, a village in the municipality of Westerkwartier in the province of Groningen, which likely shares a common linguistic root with the surname.

Overall, the surname HERREMA has a rich historical legacy, tracing its origins to the Dutch nobility of the late Middle Ages and continuing to be carried by notable individuals across various fields over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Herrema

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

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 Herrema was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 96.59% 312
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races (S)% (S)
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 Herrema has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 96.59% 95.10% 1.55%
Black 0.00% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races (S)% (S)% (S)%
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 Herrema was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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