2000
#37,591
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 557
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.21
Very Rare Last name
Meester
A Dutch occupational surname meaning schoolmaster or teacher.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 709 Americans carry the last name Meester. That puts it at #38,554 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 483,433 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Meester 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
709
1 in 483,433
Census rank
#38,554
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
618
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 618 bearers of the surname Meester in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 38554th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Meester, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Meester
The surname "MEESTER" is of Dutch origin, derived from the Dutch word "meester," which means "master" or "teacher." The name likely emerged in the Netherlands during the Middle Ages, when surnames were becoming more common.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in Dutch historical records and documents dating back to the 15th century. In the city of Amsterdam, for example, there are records of individuals with the surname Meester from the late 1400s.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Jan Meester, a Dutch painter born in Leiden around 1475. He was known for his religious paintings and portraits, and some of his works can still be found in museums and churches throughout the Netherlands.
Another notable figure with the surname Meester was Gerrit Meester, a 17th-century Dutch mathematician and astronomer. Born in 1624 in the town of Middelburg, he made significant contributions to the field of optics and was a member of the Royal Society in London.
In the 18th century, the name Meester was also found in the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia), where it was carried by several prominent families. One such family was the Meesters of Batavia (present-day Jakarta), who were involved in the Dutch East India Company and held influential positions in the colonial administration.
As the Dutch immigrated to other parts of the world, the surname Meester spread as well. In the United States, for instance, one of the earliest known bearers of the name was Pieter Meester, a Dutch settler who arrived in New York (then called New Amsterdam) in the mid-17th century.
Another notable figure with the surname Meester was Jacobus Meester, a Dutch-born American lawyer and politician who lived in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He served as a member of the New York State Assembly and was involved in the anti-slavery movement.
Over the centuries, the surname Meester has also been found in various spelling variations, such as Meister, Meijster, and Meyster, reflecting regional differences in pronunciation and spelling conventions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Meester
Among Census respondents with the surname Meester, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Meester 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 Meester surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.0% · 575
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 28
- Two or more races1.9% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Meester
Meester 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
#43,077
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 502
-55 bearers (-9.9%)
Per 100,000 0.17
Rank movement Down 5,486 places
2020
#38,554
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 618
+116 bearers (+23.1%)
Per 100,000 0.21
Rank movement Up 4,523 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #37,591 | 557 | 0.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #43,077 | 502 | 0.17 | -55 bearers (-9.9%) | Down 5,486 places |
| 2020 | #38,554 | 618 | 0.21 | +116 bearers (+23.1%) | Up 4,523 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 Meester 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 | #43,077 | #38,554 | 10.5% |
| Count | 502 | 618 | 23.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.17 | 0.21 | 21.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Meester bearers went from 502 to 618 (+23.1% change). The surname moved up 4,523 positions in the national ranking, going from #43,077 to #38,554.
FAQ
Meester surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Meester?
Name Census estimates that about 709 living Americans carry the surname Meester. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 483,433 residents.
How common is Meester?
Meester ranks #38,554 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.21 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 618 people with the surname Meester. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (709), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.21 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 Meester.
Has Meester become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Meester went from 502 recorded bearers to 618. That is an increase of 116 (+23.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #43,077 to #38,554.
What does the Census say about the background of Meester?
Among Census respondents with the surname Meester, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Meester in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.0% (575 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Meester appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.0%), Hispanic (4.5%), Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Meester (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 Meester mean?
A Dutch occupational surname meaning schoolmaster or teacher. 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 Meester (0.21 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 many people are called Meester?
See how common the surname Meester is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.