2000
#138,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Koppenaal
A Dutch surname derived from a locational name referring to a raised dwelling.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Koppenaal. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Koppenaal 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Koppenaal in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Koppenaal, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Koppenaal
The surname Koppenaal is of Dutch origin, with roots dating back to the 16th century. Its earliest recorded spelling was "Koppenale," which is believed to have derived from the Dutch words "koppen," meaning "heads," and "ale," meaning "all," potentially referring to a person who paid a tax or fine for every person in their household.
The name is thought to have originated in the province of Friesland, located in the northern part of the Netherlands. Historical records indicate that the Koppenaal family was prominent in the region during the 16th and 17th centuries, with several members holding influential positions in local government and business.
One of the earliest known references to the name Koppenaal can be found in the Dutch cadastral records of 1632, which document a landowner named Pieter Koppenaal residing in the village of Heerenveen, Friesland. Additionally, the name appears in the archives of the Dutch East India Company, with a merchant named Dirk Koppenaal listed as having sailed to the East Indies in 1658.
During the 17th century, a branch of the Koppenaal family migrated to the Dutch Cape Colony (present-day South Africa), where they established themselves as prominent farmers and landowners. Notable individuals from this lineage include Jan Koppenaal (1675-1742), a wealthy landowner and member of the Council of Policy, and his son, Pieter Koppenaal (1702-1778), who served as a military officer in the Cape Colony.
In the 18th century, the Koppenaal name gained wider recognition through the works of the Dutch writer and historian, Jacobus Koppenaal (1728-1803), who authored several influential books on the history and culture of the Netherlands. His nephew, Johannes Koppenaal (1765-1832), was a respected physician and botanist who contributed significantly to the study of medicinal plants in the Dutch East Indies.
As the Koppenaal family continued to expand and migrate throughout the Netherlands and its colonies, variations in spelling emerged, such as "Koppenaal," "Koppenael," and "Koppenhaal." However, the core meaning and origin remained rooted in the Dutch language and the family's historical ties to the province of Friesland.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Koppenaal
Among Census respondents with the surname Koppenaal, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Koppenaal 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 Koppenaal surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.0% · 100
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Koppenaal
Koppenaal 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+2 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,460 places
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-11 bearers (-9.7%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 8,554 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #138,741 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 7,460 places |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -11 bearers (-9.7%) | Down 8,554 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 Koppenaal 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 | #146,201 | #154,755 | -5.9% |
| Count | 113 | 102 | -9.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Koppenaal bearers went from 113 to 102 (-9.7% change). The surname moved down 8,554 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #154,755.
FAQ
Koppenaal surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Koppenaal?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Koppenaal. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Koppenaal?
Koppenaal ranks #154,755 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 102 people with the surname Koppenaal. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), 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 Koppenaal.
Has Koppenaal become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Koppenaal went from 113 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 11 (-9.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Koppenaal?
Among Census respondents with the surname Koppenaal, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Koppenaal in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.0% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Koppenaal appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.0%), Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Koppenaal (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 Koppenaal mean?
A Dutch surname derived from a locational name referring to a raised dwelling. 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 Koppenaal (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 Koppenaal?
Want to know how many people have the surname Koppenaal? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.