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

Opdyke, 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 Opdyke surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Opdyke in America

Opdyke is the 29261st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Opdyke surname appeared 809 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Opdyke.

We can also compare 2010 data for Opdyke 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 Opdyke

The surname Opdyke is of Dutch origin, with its roots tracing back to the Netherlands in the 16th century. It is believed to have originated as a locational name, derived from the Dutch words "op" meaning "on" and "dyke" referring to a dike or embankment. This suggests that the name may have been borne by someone who lived near or on a dike.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Dutch province of Zeeland, where a family named Opdyke is mentioned in historical records from the late 1500s. The surname is thought to have evolved from the place name "Op de Dijke," which translates to "on the dike" in Dutch.

In the 17th century, as Dutch settlers began to emigrate to the newly established Dutch colonies in North America, the Opdyke name made its way across the Atlantic. Several individuals bearing this surname can be found in early colonial records, including Johannes Opdyke, who was born in the Netherlands around 1630 and later settled in New Amsterdam (present-day New York).

Another notable figure was Jan Opdyke, a Dutch merchant who lived in the late 17th century and played a role in the establishment of the Dutch West India Company, a major trading corporation that operated in the Americas and the Caribbean.

Over time, the spelling of the name evolved, with variations such as Opdyck, Opdycke, and Opdycken appearing in historical documents. One of the earliest recorded instances of the Opdyke spelling dates back to the late 1600s, when a man named Hendrick Opdyke was listed as a resident of New Jersey.

In the 18th century, the Opdyke surname gained prominence in the American colonies. Notable individuals from this period include John Opdyke, a Revolutionary War soldier who fought in the Battle of Monmouth in 1778, and Lambertus Opdyke, a prominent landowner and farmer in New Jersey in the late 1700s.

As the centuries passed, the Opdyke name continued to spread across the United States, with descendants bearing the surname making significant contributions in various fields. For example, John Opdyke, born in 1805 in New Jersey, was a respected lawyer and politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives in the mid-19th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Opdyke

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

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

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

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