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

Overbeek, 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 Overbeek surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Overbeek in America

Overbeek is the 61585th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Overbeek surname appeared 326 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 Overbeek.

We can also compare 2010 data for Overbeek 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 Overbeek

The surname "Overbeek" originates from the Netherlands and dates back to the Middle Ages. It is a locational name derived from the Dutch words "over," meaning "across" or "beyond," and "beek," meaning "stream" or "brook." This suggests that the name originated from a place located across or near a stream or brook.

One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the records of the city of Rotterdam, where a person named Ghijs Overbeek was mentioned in a document dated 1382. This indicates that the name was already in use by the late 14th century.

In the 16th century, the name appears in various records from the Dutch provinces of Zuid-Holland and Utrecht. For instance, a man named Claes Overbeek was recorded as a resident of the town of Gouda in 1543. Another notable example is Jan Overbeek, a merchant and burgher of Utrecht, who was born around 1550 and played a role in the Dutch Revolt against Spanish rule.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the name spread to other parts of the Netherlands and beyond. Adriaen Overbeek (1615-1685) was a Dutch Golden Age painter known for his landscape and genre scenes. Another individual with this surname was Bonaventura Overbeek (1691-1756), a Catholic priest and missionary who worked in the Dutch East Indies (present-day Indonesia).

In the 19th century, the name continued to be found in various parts of the Netherlands and among Dutch immigrant communities abroad. One notable figure was Petrus Overbeek (1822-1892), a Dutch Catholic priest and missionary who worked in the United States and was known for his efforts to establish Catholic education in Minnesota.

Other individuals with the surname "Overbeek" include Mathijs Overbeek (1620-1692), a Dutch Golden Age painter and art dealer; Gijsbert Overbeek (1845-1924), a Dutch politician and journalist; and Jakub Overbeek (1881-1944), a Dutch-Polish industrialist and philanthropist who played a significant role in the development of the Polish steel industry.

Overall, the surname "Overbeek" has a rich historical background, with its origins dating back to the Middle Ages in the Netherlands. It has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including artists, clergy, merchants, and industrialists, among others.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Overbeek

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

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

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

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