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

Hoekstra, 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 Hoekstra surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hoekstra in America

Hoekstra is the 9203rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hoekstra surname appeared 3,544 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Hoekstra.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hoekstra 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.

The history of the last name Hoekstra

The surname Hoekstra originated in the Netherlands, primarily in the northern province of Friesland. It is believed to have emerged sometime in the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. The name is derived from the Dutch word "hoek," meaning "corner" or "angle," and "stra," which is a shortened form of the word "straat," meaning "street." Thus, Hoekstra likely referred to someone who lived on a street corner or at an angled intersection.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Hoekstra can be found in the archives of the city of Leeuwarden, the capital of Friesland, where a certain Hobbe Hoekstra is mentioned in a document dated 1511. This suggests that the name was already in use by the early 16th century, if not earlier.

During the Dutch Golden Age of the 17th century, the Hoekstra family played a notable role in the cultural and intellectual life of the Netherlands. Pieter Hoekstra (1628-1694), a prominent scholar and theologian, was born in Leeuwarden and served as a minister in several Dutch Reformed churches. His published works include commentaries on the Bible and treatises on theological topics.

Another noteworthy figure was Jelmer Hoekstra (1785-1856), a Frisian poet and playwright who wrote in both Dutch and the Frisian language. His plays and poetry celebrated Frisian culture and identity, and he is considered one of the most important writers in the Frisian literary tradition.

In the 19th century, Dyk Hoekstra (1820-1898) was a renowned architect who designed numerous buildings in the Neo-Renaissance and Neo-Gothic styles. Some of his most famous works include the Westerkerk in Amsterdam and the Paleis voor Volksvlijt, a grand exhibition hall that once stood in the same city.

More recently, the name Hoekstra has been carried by individuals such as Jelle Hoekstra (1915-1996), a Dutch resistance fighter during World War II who was awarded the prestigious Resistance Memorial Cross for his bravery and sacrifices in the fight against Nazi occupation.

Despite its Dutch origins, the Hoekstra surname has spread beyond the Netherlands over time, with individuals bearing this name found in various parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and other countries with historical Dutch connections or immigration.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hoekstra

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

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 Hoekstra was:

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 Hoekstra has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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 Hoekstra was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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