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

Koster, 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 Koster surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Koster in America

Koster is the 5293rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Koster surname appeared 6,580 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Koster.

We can also compare 2010 data for Koster 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 Koster

The surname Koster is of Dutch origin, originating from the Low Countries region of northwestern Europe in the 16th century. It is derived from the Dutch word 'koster', which means 'sexton' or 'parish clerk'. The name was initially given to individuals who held this occupation, responsible for maintaining church buildings and ringing the bells.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Koster can be found in the Dutch records of the city of Leiden in the late 1500s. A certain Jan Koster was listed as a resident of the city during this time period. Another early record comes from the Dutch province of Friesland, where a Pieter Koster was documented in the town of Harlingen in the early 1600s.

The surname Koster has also been associated with various place names in the Netherlands, such as Kosterswolde and Kosterburen, suggesting that some individuals may have adopted the name based on their place of residence or origin.

A notable individual with the surname Koster was Laurens Janszoon Koster, who lived in the Dutch town of Haarlem from around 1420 to 1440. He is often credited as one of the earliest pioneers of movable type printing in Europe, predating Johannes Gutenberg.

Another prominent figure was Samuel Koster, a Dutch naval officer and explorer who lived from 1579 to 1668. He made significant contributions to the exploration and mapping of the West Indies and South America during his time with the Dutch West India Company.

In the realm of art, Jan Koster (1644-1718) was a Dutch Golden Age painter known for his still life paintings and portraits. He spent most of his career in the city of Amsterdam.

Moving into the 19th century, Theodoor Koster (1818-1892) was a Dutch theologian and writer who served as a pastor in the Netherlands Reformed Church. He authored several works on religious subjects and was also involved in the translation of the Bible into Dutch.

Lastly, Cornelis Koster (1892-1953) was a Dutch architect and urban planner who played a significant role in the reconstruction and development of Rotterdam after World War II. His designs for residential neighborhoods and public buildings helped shape the modern cityscape of Rotterdam in the post-war era.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Koster

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

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

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

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