2000
#27,848
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 812
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.30
Very Rare Last name
Hiemstra
A surname of Dutch origin meaning "from the homestead" or "from the estate".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 999 Americans carry the last name Hiemstra. That puts it at #29,014 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.29 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 343,097 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hiemstra 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
999
1 in 343,097
Census rank
#29,014
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
871
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 871 bearers of the surname Hiemstra in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.29 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 29014th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hiemstra, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hiemstra
The surname HIEMSTRA is of Dutch origin, originating from the northern regions of the Netherlands. It is believed to have emerged in the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. The name is derived from the Old Dutch word "heem," which means "home" or "homestead," and the suffix "-stra," which is a common patronymic ending, indicating "son of" or "descendant of."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name HIEMSTRA can be found in the Utrecht Archives, dated back to the late 15th century, where a certain Gerrit Hiemstra is mentioned as a landowner in the region of Friesland. Another notable early reference is in the records of the Dutch Reformed Church in Amsterdam, where a Jan Hiemstra is registered as a member in the year 1621.
The name HIEMSTRA is closely associated with the province of Friesland, where it was particularly prevalent in the rural areas and villages. It is believed that some of the earliest bearers of the name were farmers or landowners who took their surname from the location of their homestead or farm.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname HIEMSTRA was Pieter Hiemstra, born in 1602 in the village of Beetgum, Friesland. He was a prominent farmer and landowner in the region during the 17th century.
Another notable figure was Douwe Hiemstra, born in 1720 in the town of Leeuwarden, Friesland. He was a respected scholar and theologian who served as a minister in the Dutch Reformed Church and authored several religious texts.
In the 19th century, Sjoerd Hiemstra, born in 1832 in the village of Buitenpost, Friesland, gained recognition as a skilled shipbuilder and naval architect, contributing to the development of the Dutch maritime industry.
The name HIEMSTRA also spread beyond the Netherlands, with some bearers emigrating to other parts of the world. One such individual was Jan Hiemstra, born in 1863 in Friesland, who later emigrated to the United States and settled in the state of Michigan, where he worked as a farmer.
Another significant figure was Sytse Hiemstra, born in 1885 in the town of Workum, Friesland. He was a prominent linguist and academic, serving as a professor at the University of Groningen and making significant contributions to the study of the Frisian language and literature.
Throughout its history, the surname HIEMSTRA has been associated with various occupations, including agriculture, religious service, academia, and maritime industries, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and pursuits of its bearers across different periods and regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hiemstra
Among Census respondents with the surname Hiemstra, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Hiemstra 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 Hiemstra surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.6% · 833
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 16
- Two or more races1.6% · 14
- Black or African American0.8% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hiemstra
Hiemstra 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
#28,065
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 853
+41 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.29
Rank movement Down 217 places
2020
#29,014
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 871
+18 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 0.29
Rank movement Down 949 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #27,848 | 812 | 0.30 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #28,065 | 853 | 0.29 | +41 bearers (+5.0%) | Down 217 places |
| 2020 | #29,014 | 871 | 0.29 | +18 bearers (+2.1%) | Down 949 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 Hiemstra 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 | #28,065 | #29,014 | -3.4% |
| Count | 853 | 871 | 2.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.29 | 0.29 | 0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hiemstra bearers went from 853 to 871 (+2.1% change). The surname moved down 949 positions in the national ranking, going from #28,065 to #29,014.
FAQ
Hiemstra surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hiemstra?
Name Census estimates that about 999 living Americans carry the surname Hiemstra. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 343,097 residents.
How common is Hiemstra?
Hiemstra ranks #29,014 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.29 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 871 people with the surname Hiemstra. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (999), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.29 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.29 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 Hiemstra.
Has Hiemstra become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hiemstra went from 853 recorded bearers to 871. That is an increase of 18 (+2.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #28,065 to #29,014.
What does the Census say about the background of Hiemstra?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hiemstra, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and Two or More Races (1.6%). 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 Hiemstra in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.6% (833 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hiemstra appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.6%), Hispanic (1.8%), Two or More Races (1.6%). 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 Hiemstra (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 Hiemstra mean?
A surname of Dutch origin meaning "from the homestead" or "from the estate". 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 Hiemstra (0.29 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 are called Hiemstra?
Want to know how many people have the last name Hiemstra? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.