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

Kooistra, 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 Kooistra surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kooistra in America

Kooistra is the 26747th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kooistra surname appeared 910 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 Kooistra.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kooistra 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 Kooistra

The surname Kooistra has its origins in the Netherlands, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Dutch word "kooien," which means "cages" or "enclosures," and "stra," which refers to a street or road. This suggests that the name may have originated from a particular street or area where bird or animal enclosures were located.

One of the earliest records of the Kooistra name can be found in the archives of the city of Leeuwarden, Friesland, in the 16th century. In these records, the name is spelled in various ways, such as "Cooijstra," "Cooijster," and "Cooijsterman." These variations highlight the evolution of the name over time and the regional differences in spelling and pronunciation.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Kooistra family was well-established in the provinces of Friesland and Groningen. Several members of the family held prominent positions in local government and industry. For example, Douwe Kooistra (1628-1704) was a successful merchant and served as a city councilor in Leeuwarden.

In the 19th century, the Kooistra name gained wider recognition with the birth of Pieter Jelles Kooistra (1807-1878), a renowned painter from the Hague School of Dutch realism. His works, which often depicted scenes of daily life in rural areas, are now displayed in museums across the Netherlands and abroad.

Another notable figure with the Kooistra surname was Dirk Kooistra (1882-1957), a Dutch politician and member of the House of Representatives. He played a significant role in the reconstruction efforts after World War II and was instrumental in shaping the country's post-war policies.

In more recent times, the name Kooistra has been associated with several accomplished individuals in various fields. For instance, Gerrit Kooistra (1930-2020) was a respected physicist and professor at the University of Groningen, known for his contributions to the field of solid-state physics.

It is worth noting that while the Kooistra surname originated in the Netherlands, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and cultural exchanges. However, the name remains most prevalent in the Netherlands and among Dutch communities worldwide.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kooistra

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

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

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

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