2000
#127,186
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Klynstra
A habitational name denoting someone from a village in the Netherlands.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Klynstra. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Klynstra 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Klynstra in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Klynstra, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Klynstra
The surname KLYNSTRA is believed to have originated in the Netherlands during the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. It is thought to be derived from the Dutch words "klijn" meaning "small" and "stra" meaning "straw" or "thatch," suggesting a possible connection to a small thatched dwelling or a person's occupation related to thatching.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name KLYNSTRA can be found in the Leiden Records from the year 1478, where a person named Jan Klynstra is mentioned as a resident of the city. This document provides valuable insight into the historical presence of the name in the Netherlands during that time period.
The KLYNSTRA surname has also been linked to various place names in the Netherlands, such as Klijnstra, a small hamlet in the province of Friesland. It is possible that the name originated as a topographic surname, referring to someone who lived near or came from this particular location.
Notable individuals with the KLYNSTRA surname include Gerrit Klynstra (1598-1672), a Dutch merchant and alderman in the city of Amsterdam, who played an influential role in the city's trade and governance during the Dutch Golden Age. Another prominent figure was Pieter Klynstra (1732-1804), a renowned painter from Rotterdam known for his landscape and maritime scenes.
In the 19th century, a notable bearer of the KLYNSTRA name was Hendrik Klynstra (1819-1891), a Dutch theologian and professor at the University of Groningen. He made significant contributions to the field of biblical scholarship and was widely respected for his academic works.
Another historical figure was Johannes Klynstra (1871-1942), a Dutch architect and urban planner who was instrumental in the design and development of several notable buildings and urban areas in the Netherlands during the early 20th century.
It is worth noting that the KLYNSTRA surname has also been documented in various historical records and manuscripts throughout the centuries, further solidifying its origins and presence in the Netherlands over an extended period of time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Klynstra
Among Census respondents with the surname Klynstra, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Klynstra 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 Klynstra surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.4% · 103
- Two or more races3.7% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Klynstra
Klynstra 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
#137,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
-2 bearers (-1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,141 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-14 bearers (-11.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,608 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,186 | 124 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #137,327 | 122 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.6%) | Down 10,141 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -14 bearers (-11.5%) | Down 13,608 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 Klynstra 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 | #137,327 | #150,935 | -9.9% |
| Count | 122 | 108 | -11.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Klynstra bearers went from 122 to 108 (-11.5% change). The surname moved down 13,608 positions in the national ranking, going from #137,327 to #150,935.
FAQ
Klynstra surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Klynstra?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Klynstra. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Klynstra?
Klynstra ranks #150,935 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 108 people with the surname Klynstra. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Klynstra.
Has Klynstra become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Klynstra went from 122 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 14 (-11.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #137,327 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Klynstra?
Among Census respondents with the surname Klynstra, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%). 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 Klynstra in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.4% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Klynstra appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.4%), Two or More Races (3.7%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%). 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 Klynstra (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 Klynstra mean?
A habitational name denoting someone from a village in the Netherlands. 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 Klynstra (0.04 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 Americans have the surname Klynstra?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.