2000
#144,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kwaak
A surname derived from the Dutch word "kwaken" meaning to croak or quack, possibly referring to someone with a croaking voice.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Kwaak. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kwaak 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Kwaak in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kwaak, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Hispanic (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kwaak
The surname KWAAK is of Dutch origin, originating in the Netherlands during the late medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Dutch word "kwaken," which means "to croak" or "to quack," likely referring to the sound made by frogs or ducks.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the KWAAK surname can be found in the archives of the city of Amsterdam, where a record from 1568 lists a Willem Kwaak as a resident. This suggests that the name was already established in the Dutch provinces by the 16th century.
In the 17th century, the KWAAK surname appeared in several Dutch colonial settlements, including those in modern-day South Africa and Indonesia. This indicates that bearers of the name may have been among the early Dutch settlers in these regions.
The KWAAK surname is also linked to the Dutch village of Kwaak, located in the province of Utrecht. This place name likely derives from the same root as the surname, further reinforcing the connection between the name and the concept of croaking or quacking sounds.
Notable individuals with the KWAAK surname throughout history include:
1. Cornelis Kwaak (1634-1692), a Dutch painter known for his still-life works featuring flowers and fruit.
2. Pieter Kwaak (1758-1823), a Dutch military officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and was awarded the Legion of Honor.
3. Johanna Kwaak (1879-1964), a Dutch writer and feminist activist who campaigned for women's rights and education.
4. Willem Kwaak (1892-1975), a Dutch architect known for designing several iconic buildings in Amsterdam, including the Beurs van Berlage.
5. Hendrik Kwaak (1920-2001), a Dutch resistance fighter during World War II who helped shelter Jewish families from the Nazi occupation.
While the KWAAK surname is relatively uncommon outside of the Netherlands, it remains a part of the rich cultural heritage and history of the Dutch people, with its roots stretching back centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kwaak
Among Census respondents with the surname Kwaak, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Hispanic (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Kwaak 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 Kwaak surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.4% · 104
- Two or more races5.0% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.4% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kwaak
Kwaak 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
#133,048
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
+22 bearers (+21.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 11,860 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-8 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,740 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #144,908 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #133,048 | 127 | 0.04 | +22 bearers (+21.0%) | Up 11,860 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 9,740 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 Kwaak 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 | #133,048 | #142,788 | -7.3% |
| Count | 127 | 119 | -6.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kwaak bearers went from 127 to 119 (-6.3% change). The surname moved down 9,740 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,048 to #142,788.
FAQ
Kwaak surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kwaak?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Kwaak. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Kwaak?
Kwaak ranks #142,788 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 119 people with the surname Kwaak. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), 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 Kwaak.
Has Kwaak become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kwaak went from 127 recorded bearers to 119. That is a decrease of 8 (-6.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,048 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Kwaak?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kwaak, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Hispanic (4.2%). 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 Kwaak in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.4% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kwaak appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.4%), Two or More Races (5.0%), Hispanic (4.2%). 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 Kwaak (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 Kwaak mean?
A surname derived from the Dutch word "kwaken" meaning to croak or quack, possibly referring to someone with a croaking voice. 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 Kwaak (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 common is the surname Kwaak?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Kwaak on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.