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

Kuiper, 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 Kuiper surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kuiper in America

Kuiper is the 12789th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kuiper surname appeared 2,412 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Kuiper.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kuiper 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 Kuiper

The surname Kuiper is of Dutch origin and dates back to the 16th century. It is derived from the word "kuiper," which means "cooper" or "barrel maker" in Dutch. The name originated in the Netherlands, particularly in areas such as Friesland and Groningen, where the cooper trade was prominent.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kuiper can be found in the Dutch Republic's records from the late 16th century. At that time, the name was spelled in various ways, including "Kuyper," "Kuiper," and "Cuyper."

The name Kuiper has been associated with several notable figures throughout history. One such figure was Jacobus Kuiper (1670-1745), a Dutch Golden Age painter known for his still life and interior scenes. Another was Nicolaas Kuiper (1760-1818), a Dutch naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars.

In the 19th century, the name gained prominence with the birth of Gerard Pieter Kuiper (1905-1973), a Dutch-American astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of planetary atmospheres and the solar system. He is considered one of the founders of modern planetary science.

Another notable individual with the Kuiper surname was Hendrik Kuiper (1888-1951), a Dutch footballer who represented the Netherlands national team and played for clubs like HVV Den Haag and Sparta Rotterdam.

The Kuiper surname has also been associated with place names in the Netherlands. For example, the village of Kuipersveer, located in the province of South Holland, derives its name from the presence of coopers or barrel makers in the area.

While the name Kuiper is predominantly Dutch in origin, it has spread to other parts of the world due to migration and diaspora communities. However, its roots can be traced back to the Netherlands and the historical occupation of barrel making.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kuiper

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!