2000
#81,700
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 215
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.08
Very Rare Last name
Ketelaar
An archaic Dutch occupational surname referring to a person who made or repaired kettles.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 280 Americans carry the last name Ketelaar. That puts it at #83,139 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,224,123 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ketelaar 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
280
1 in 1,224,123
Census rank
#83,139
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
244
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 244 bearers of the surname Ketelaar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 83139th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ketelaar, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (1.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ketelaar
The surname KETELAAR has its origins in the Netherlands, where it emerged sometime in the late medieval period. It is derived from the Dutch words 'ketel' meaning 'kettle' or 'cauldron' and 'aar' meaning 'maker' or 'worker'. This suggests that the name was originally an occupational surname given to someone who made or worked with kettles or cauldrons.
In the early records, the name appears with various spellings such as Ketelaar, Kettelaar, Ketelaar, and Ketelaer. These variations reflect the different regional dialects and the lack of standardized spelling practices at the time. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Utrecht Archives, where a certain Henricus Ketelaar is mentioned in a document dated 1389.
The name KETELAAR is also found in some historical records from the 15th and 16th centuries. For example, a Willem Ketelaar is listed in the records of the city of Haarlem in 1487, and a Claes Ketelaar is mentioned in the records of the town of Leiden in 1532.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, some notable individuals with the surname KETELAAR emerged. One such person was Jan Ketelaar (1617-1677), a Dutch Golden Age painter known for his genre scenes and still lifes. Another was Pieter Ketelaar (1725-1782), a Dutch lawyer and historian who authored several works on the history of the Netherlands.
In the 19th century, a few individuals with the surname KETELAAR gained prominence. One was Johannes Ketelaar (1817-1891), a Dutch politician and lawyer who served as the Mayor of Utrecht from 1868 to 1891. Another was Christiaan Ketelaar (1854-1925), a Dutch painter and illustrator known for his depictions of rural life and landscapes.
One of the most famous bearers of the surname KETELAAR in the 20th century was Johannes Ketelaar (1889-1968), a Dutch Catholic priest and resistance fighter during World War II. He played a crucial role in helping Jewish refugees escape from Nazi-occupied Netherlands and was honored for his efforts by the State of Israel.
While the surname KETELAAR is still found predominantly in the Netherlands and other parts of the Low Countries, it has also spread to other countries through emigration. However, its origins can be traced back to the Netherlands, where it emerged as an occupational surname reflecting the historical trade of kettle or cauldron making.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ketelaar
Among Census respondents with the surname Ketelaar, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (1.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Ketelaar 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 Ketelaar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.9% · 229
- Two or more races3.3% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino1.6% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ketelaar
Ketelaar 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
#79,075
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 241
+26 bearers (+12.1%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Up 2,625 places
2020
#83,139
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 244
+3 bearers (+1.2%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Down 4,064 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #81,700 | 215 | 0.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #79,075 | 241 | 0.08 | +26 bearers (+12.1%) | Up 2,625 places |
| 2020 | #83,139 | 244 | 0.08 | +3 bearers (+1.2%) | Down 4,064 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 Ketelaar 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 | #79,075 | #83,139 | -5.1% |
| Count | 241 | 244 | 1.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.08 | 0.08 | 2.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ketelaar bearers went from 241 to 244 (+1.2% change). The surname moved down 4,064 positions in the national ranking, going from #79,075 to #83,139.
FAQ
Ketelaar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ketelaar?
Name Census estimates that about 280 living Americans carry the surname Ketelaar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,224,123 residents.
How common is Ketelaar?
Ketelaar ranks #83,139 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.08 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 244 people with the surname Ketelaar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (280), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.08 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 Ketelaar.
Has Ketelaar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ketelaar went from 241 recorded bearers to 244. That is an increase of 3 (+1.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #79,075 to #83,139.
What does the Census say about the background of Ketelaar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ketelaar, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (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 Ketelaar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.9% (229 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ketelaar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.9%), Two or More Races (3.3%), Hispanic (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 Ketelaar (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 Ketelaar mean?
An archaic Dutch occupational surname referring to a person who made or repaired kettles. 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 Ketelaar (0.08 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 Ketelaar?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Ketelaar, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.