2010
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Moolenaar
Dutch surname derived from miller or referring to someone living near a mill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Moolenaar. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Moolenaar 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Moolenaar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Moolenaar, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.4%. The next largest groups are Black (30.6%) and Two or More Races (9.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Moolenaar
The surname Moolenaar has its origins in the Low Countries region of northwestern Europe, particularly in the areas that are now the modern-day Netherlands and Belgium. It is believed to have emerged during the Middle Ages, likely between the 12th and 14th centuries.
The name Moolenaar is derived from the Dutch words "molen" (mill) and "naar" (one who works at or with). It was an occupational surname given to individuals who worked as millers, operating mills that ground grain into flour. These mills were an essential part of the agricultural economy in the Low Countries during that time period.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Moolenaar surname can be found in the Leiden municipal records from the late 15th century, where a certain Jan Moolenaar is mentioned. Another early documented example is Pieter Moolenaar, who was born in Antwerp, Belgium, around 1550.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, as the Dutch Republic emerged as a maritime and trading power, the Moolenaar name spread to other parts of Europe and eventually to the Americas through Dutch colonial expansion and migration. Notable individuals with this surname include Claes Moolenaar (1615-1675), a Dutch Golden Age painter known for his landscapes and seascapes.
Another prominent figure was Jacobus Moolenaar (1720-1791), a Dutch minister and theologian who served as a professor at the University of Groningen. In the 19th century, Pieter Moolenaar (1820-1890) was a Dutch politician and jurist who served as the Minister of Justice in the Netherlands.
During the 20th century, Gerrit Moolenaar (1891-1966) was a Dutch politician and diplomat who served as the Dutch ambassador to the United States from 1949 to 1956. More recently, Henk Moolenaar (1924-2015) was a Dutch-American businessman and philanthropist who founded the Moolenaar Charitable Trust.
While the surname Moolenaar has its roots in the Low Countries, it has since spread to various parts of the world through migration and diaspora, with many descendants of the original Moolenaar families now residing in countries like the United States, Canada, Australia, and South Africa.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Moolenaar
Among Census respondents with the surname Moolenaar, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.4%. The next largest groups are Black (30.6%) and Two or More Races (9.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Moolenaar 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 Moolenaar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White50.4% · 61
- Black or African American30.6% · 37
- Two or more races9.9% · 12
- Hispanic or Latino7.4% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Moolenaar
Moolenaar appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+13 bearers (+12.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 10,223 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | +13 bearers (+12.0%) | Up 10,223 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 Moolenaar 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 | #151,532 | #141,309 | 6.7% |
| Count | 108 | 121 | 12.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Moolenaar bearers went from 108 to 121 (+12.0% change). The surname moved up 10,223 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #141,309.
FAQ
Moolenaar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Moolenaar?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Moolenaar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Moolenaar?
Moolenaar ranks #141,309 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 121 people with the surname Moolenaar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), 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 Moolenaar.
Has Moolenaar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Moolenaar went from 108 recorded bearers to 121. That is an increase of 13 (+12.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #151,532 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Moolenaar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Moolenaar, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.4%. The next largest groups are Black (30.6%) and Two or More Races (9.9%). 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 Moolenaar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 50.4% (61 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Moolenaar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (50.4%), Black (30.6%), Two or More Races (9.9%). 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 Moolenaar (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 Moolenaar mean?
Dutch surname derived from miller or referring to someone living near a mill. 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 Moolenaar (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 many people share the surname Moolenaar?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.