2000
#13,213
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,119
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.79
Rare Last name
Postma
A Dutch occupational surname referring to a postman or mail carrier.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,705 Americans carry the last name Postma. That puts it at #12,540 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.79 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 126,711 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Postma 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
2.7K
1 in 126,711
Census rank
#12,540
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,359 bearers of the surname Postma in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.79 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12540th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Postma, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.2%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Postma
The surname Postma is of Dutch origin and is believed to have originated in the Netherlands during the 16th century. It is derived from the Dutch word "post," which means "station" or "position," and the suffix "-ma," which is a patronymic suffix indicating "son of." Thus, the name Postma likely referred to the son of someone who lived near or worked at a postal station or a particular location along a route.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Postma can be found in the Dutch city of Leeuwarden, in the province of Friesland, where a man named Pieter Postma was listed in the city's records in 1589. It is believed that the name may have originated in this region, as the Frisian language is closely related to Dutch and shares similar naming conventions.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Postma name gained prominence in various parts of the Netherlands, particularly in the provinces of Friesland, Groningen, and Drenthe. Several notable individuals bore this surname during this period, including Eelke Postma (1632-1704), a renowned Dutch mathematician and astronomer, and Jacobus Postma (1683-1749), a prominent Dutch painter known for his landscape and seascape paintings.
In the 19th century, the Postma name spread beyond the Netherlands due to Dutch immigration and colonization efforts. One notable figure with this surname was Joannes Albertus Postma (1818-1892), a Dutch Reformed Church minister who played a significant role in establishing the Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa.
Another prominent individual with the Postma surname was Arend Postma (1870-1939), a Dutch politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Dutch Parliament and was instrumental in the development of labor laws and social welfare policies in the Netherlands.
Towards the latter part of the 19th century and into the 20th century, the Postma name continued to be found in various parts of Europe and beyond, as Dutch emigrants settled in countries like the United States, Canada, and Australia. One notable example is Hessel Postma (1898-1967), a Dutch-American physicist who made significant contributions to the field of statistical mechanics and thermodynamics.
Throughout its history, the surname Postma has been associated with a variety of professions and achievements, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and contributions of those who have carried this name. While the name may have originated from a specific geographic location or occupation, it has since transcended its roots and become a part of the rich tapestry of surnames found across the globe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Postma
Among Census respondents with the surname Postma, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.2%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Postma 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 Postma surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.5% · 2,230
- Two or more races2.2% · 52
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 40
- Black or African American0.7% · 17
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Postma
Postma 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
#13,300
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,293
+174 bearers (+8.2%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Down 87 places
2020
#12,540
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,359
+66 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.79
Rank movement Up 760 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,213 | 2,119 | 0.79 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,300 | 2,293 | 0.78 | +174 bearers (+8.2%) | Down 87 places |
| 2020 | #12,540 | 2,359 | 0.79 | +66 bearers (+2.9%) | Up 760 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 Postma 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 | #13,300 | #12,540 | 5.7% |
| Count | 2,293 | 2,359 | 2.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.78 | 0.79 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Postma bearers went from 2,293 to 2,359 (+2.9% change). The surname moved up 760 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,300 to #12,540.
FAQ
Postma surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Postma?
Name Census estimates that about 2,705 living Americans carry the surname Postma. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 126,711 residents.
How common is Postma?
Postma ranks #12,540 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.79 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,359 people with the surname Postma. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,705), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.79 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.79 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Postma.
Has Postma become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Postma went from 2,293 recorded bearers to 2,359. That is an increase of 66 (+2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,300 to #12,540.
What does the Census say about the background of Postma?
Among Census respondents with the surname Postma, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.2%) and Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Postma in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.5% (2,230 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Postma appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.5%), Two or More Races (2.2%), Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Postma (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 Postma mean?
A Dutch occupational surname referring to a postman or mail carrier. 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 Postma (0.79 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 have the surname Postma?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.