2000
#73,659
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 245
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.09
Very Rare Last name
Herrema
An occupational surname referring to a homestead manager or steward.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 390 Americans carry the last name Herrema. That puts it at #63,405 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 878,857 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Herrema 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
390
1 in 878,857
Census rank
#63,405
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
340
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 340 bearers of the surname Herrema in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 63405th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Herrema, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Herrema
Among Census respondents with the surname Herrema, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Herrema 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 Herrema surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.5% · 335
- Two or more races0.9% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Herrema
Herrema 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
#62,045
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 323
+78 bearers (+31.8%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Up 11,614 places
2020
#63,405
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 340
+17 bearers (+5.3%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Down 1,360 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #73,659 | 245 | 0.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #62,045 | 323 | 0.11 | +78 bearers (+31.8%) | Up 11,614 places |
| 2020 | #63,405 | 340 | 0.11 | +17 bearers (+5.3%) | Down 1,360 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 Herrema 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 | #62,045 | #63,405 | -2.2% |
| Count | 323 | 340 | 5.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.11 | 0.11 | 3.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Herrema bearers went from 323 to 340 (+5.3% change). The surname moved down 1,360 positions in the national ranking, going from #62,045 to #63,405.
FAQ
Herrema surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Herrema?
Name Census estimates that about 390 living Americans carry the surname Herrema. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 878,857 residents.
How common is Herrema?
Herrema ranks #63,405 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.11 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 340 people with the surname Herrema. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (390), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.11 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 Herrema.
Has Herrema become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Herrema went from 323 recorded bearers to 340. That is an increase of 17 (+5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #62,045 to #63,405.
What does the Census say about the background of Herrema?
Among Census respondents with the surname Herrema, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.6%). 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 Herrema in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.5% (335 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Herrema appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.5%), Two or More Races (0.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.6%). 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 Herrema (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 Herrema mean?
An occupational surname referring to a homestead manager or steward. 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 Herrema (0.11 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 surname Herrema?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.