2010
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Katje
A diminutive form of the given name Katherine, meaning "pure" or "clear".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Katje. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Katje 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Katje in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Katje, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Katje
The surname KATJE originated in the Netherlands during the 16th century. It is derived from the Dutch word "katje," which means "little cat." This name likely emerged as a nickname or descriptive term for someone who was known for their feline-like qualities or had a particular fondness for cats.
The earliest recorded instances of the KATJE surname can be found in Dutch parish records and historical documents from the late 1500s and early 1600s. These early mentions often appear as variations of the spelling, such as "Catje," "Kattje," or "Kaatje," reflecting the regional dialects and linguistic variations of the time.
One notable historical figure bearing the KATJE name was Jan Katje (1592-1657), a Dutch painter and engraver known for his landscapes and cityscapes. His works can be found in various museums and collections throughout the Netherlands and Europe.
Another individual of note was Pieter Katje (1647-1712), a Dutch merchant and sea captain who played a role in the early colonization of the Cape of Good Hope region in South Africa. Records indicate that he made several voyages to the area in the late 17th century.
In the 18th century, the KATJE surname appeared in the Dutch East Indies (present-day Indonesia). Cornelis Katje (1721-1789) was a prominent figure in the Dutch East India Company, serving as a merchant and colonial administrator in Batavia (now Jakarta).
Moving into the 19th century, the KATJE name can be found in Dutch immigrant communities across Europe and beyond. One such example is Adriana Katje (1823-1901), a Dutch woman who immigrated to the United States in the mid-1800s and settled in the state of Michigan.
Another notable bearer of the KATJE surname was Willem Katje (1871-1945), a Dutch artist and illustrator known for his intricate etchings and woodcuts depicting scenes from everyday life in the Netherlands.
Throughout its history, the KATJE surname has maintained its connections to the Netherlands and Dutch culture, while also spreading to various parts of the world through migration and exploration.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Katje
Among Census respondents with the surname Katje, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Katje 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 Katje surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.1% · 100
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Katje
Katje appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
+3 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 6,793 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | +3 bearers (+3.0%) | Up 6,793 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 Katje 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 | #160,975 | #154,182 | 4.2% |
| Count | 100 | 103 | 3.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 14.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Katje bearers went from 100 to 103 (+3.0% change). The surname moved up 6,793 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #154,182.
FAQ
Katje surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Katje?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Katje. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Katje?
Katje ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 103 people with the surname Katje. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Katje.
Has Katje become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Katje went from 100 recorded bearers to 103. That is an increase of 3 (+3.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Katje?
Among Census respondents with the surname Katje, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Katje in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.1% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Katje appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.1%), Hispanic (1.9%), Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Katje (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 Katje mean?
A diminutive form of the given name Katherine, meaning "pure" or "clear". 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 Katje (0.03 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 Katje?
See how many Americans have the surname Katje on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.