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

Jeltema, 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 Jeltema surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Jeltema in America

Jeltema is the 78040th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Jeltema surname appeared 245 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 Jeltema.

We can also compare 2010 data for Jeltema 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 Jeltema

The surname Jeltema has its origins in the Netherlands, tracing back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Dutch words "jelt" meaning "torrent" or "stream," and "ma" meaning "meadow" or "pasture." This suggests that the name may have originated from a geographical location near a meadow or pasture with a stream running through it.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Jeltema surname can be found in the Dutch province of Friesland, where it is thought to have first emerged. The name appears in various historical records and documents from that region, often with slight variations in spelling, such as Jeltema, Jeltama, or Yeltema.

In the late 17th century, a notable figure named Pieter Jeltema (1646-1718) was a prominent lawyer and politician in the city of Leeuwarden, Friesland. He served as the Mayor of Leeuwarden and played a significant role in the political affairs of the region during his lifetime.

Another individual of historical significance was Gerben Jeltema (1785-1858), a Dutch theologian and writer. He was born in the village of Wolvega, Friesland, and is known for his contributions to religious literature and theological studies.

During the 19th century, the Jeltema surname can be found in various historical records and documents from other regions of the Netherlands, suggesting that the family had spread beyond its origins in Friesland. One such example is Douwe Jeltema (1818-1892), a Dutch politician and journalist from the province of Groningen.

In the early 20th century, Sjoerd Jeltema (1901-1987) was a renowned Dutch botanist and plant taxonomist. Born in the village of Ferwerd, Friesland, he made significant contributions to the study of plant systematics and authored numerous scientific publications.

Another notable figure was Meinte Jeltema (1907-1995), a Dutch artist and painter from the village of Buitenpost, Friesland. He was known for his landscape paintings and depictions of rural life in the Netherlands, and his works are held in various art collections and museums.

While the Jeltema surname has its roots in the Netherlands, it has also been carried to other parts of the world by Dutch emigrants and their descendants. However, the historical records and references mentioned above provide a glimpse into the rich and fascinating history of this surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Jeltema

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!