2000
#81,100
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 217
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.08
Very Rare Last name
Hornstra
A Dutch surname referring to someone living near a corner or bend.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 230 Americans carry the last name Hornstra. That puts it at #96,965 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,490,236 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hornstra 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
230
1 in 1,490,236
Census rank
#96,965
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
201
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 201 bearers of the surname Hornstra in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 96965th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hornstra, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hornstra
The surname Hornstra originated in the Netherlands, first appearing in records as early as the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Dutch words "hoorn" meaning "horn" and "stra" meaning "street" or "road." This suggests the name may have referred to a person who lived on a street or area named after a horn or horn-shaped landmark.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Hornstra name can be found in the Dutch province of Friesland, where it is thought to have originated. In the town of Leeuwarden, a certain Jan Hornstra is mentioned in a church register from 1598.
In the 17th century, the Hornstra name appears in various legal documents and land records across the Netherlands, particularly in the provinces of Friesland and Groningen. For instance, a farmer named Pieter Hornstra is listed as owning a parcel of land in the village of Engelum in 1642.
While no direct connections have been made to famous historical figures, it is possible that the Hornstra name may have been associated with skilled horn makers or trades involving horn products, given the name's etymology.
Notable individuals with the Hornstra surname include:
1. Tjaart Hornstra (1628-1691), a Dutch merchant and ship owner from Leeuwarden.
2. Gerrit Hornstra (1765-1842), a Dutch politician and mayor of the town of Franeker.
3. Sipke Hornstra (1819-1886), a Dutch theologian and author from Friesland.
4. Tjeerd Hornstra (1882-1964), a Dutch painter and artist known for his landscape works.
5. Kees Hornstra (1921-2009), a Dutch resistance fighter during World War II and recipient of the Dutch Resistance Memorial Cross.
Throughout its history, the Hornstra surname has maintained its roots in the Netherlands, particularly in the northern provinces of Friesland and Groningen. While not a widely widespread name, it has left its mark in various sectors of Dutch society, from business and politics to art and literature.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hornstra
Among Census respondents with the surname Hornstra, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Hornstra 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 Hornstra surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 185
- Two or more races4.5% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 5
- Black or African American1.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hornstra
Hornstra 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
#85,659
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 218
+1 bearers (+0.5%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 4,559 places
2020
#96,965
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 201
-17 bearers (-7.8%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 11,306 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #81,100 | 217 | 0.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #85,659 | 218 | 0.07 | +1 bearers (+0.5%) | Down 4,559 places |
| 2020 | #96,965 | 201 | 0.07 | -17 bearers (-7.8%) | Down 11,306 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 Hornstra 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 | #85,659 | #96,965 | -13.2% |
| Count | 218 | 201 | -7.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.07 | -3.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hornstra bearers went from 218 to 201 (-7.8% change). The surname moved down 11,306 positions in the national ranking, going from #85,659 to #96,965.
FAQ
Hornstra surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hornstra?
Name Census estimates that about 230 living Americans carry the surname Hornstra. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,490,236 residents.
How common is Hornstra?
Hornstra ranks #96,965 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.07 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 201 people with the surname Hornstra. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (230), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.07 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 Hornstra.
Has Hornstra become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hornstra went from 218 recorded bearers to 201. That is a decrease of 17 (-7.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #85,659 to #96,965.
What does the Census say about the background of Hornstra?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hornstra, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Hornstra in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (185 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hornstra appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Two or More Races (4.5%), Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Hornstra (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 Hornstra mean?
A Dutch surname referring to someone living near a corner or bend. 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 Hornstra (0.07 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 Hornstra?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Hornstra, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.