2000
#57,544
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 331
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.12
Very Rare Last name
Surdam
An Americanized form of the Dutch surname "Sur den Dam" meaning "by the dam".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 377 Americans carry the last name Surdam. That puts it at #65,168 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 909,163 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Surdam 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
377
1 in 909,163
Census rank
#65,168
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
329
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 329 bearers of the surname Surdam in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 65168th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Surdam, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.2%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Surdam
The surname Surdam has its origins in the Netherlands, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Dutch words "sur" meaning "sour" and "dam" referring to a low-lying area or marsh. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a sour or acidic marshland.
Some of the earliest recorded instances of the Surdam surname can be found in Dutch church records from the late 1500s and early 1600s, particularly in the regions of Gelderland and Utrecht. Variations in spelling, such as Surdam, Surdamme, and Surdammer, were common during this period.
In the late 17th century, members of the Surdam family began migrating to the New World, settling in areas of what is now New York and New Jersey. One of the earliest known Surdams in America was Hendrick Surdam, who arrived in New Amsterdam (present-day New York City) in the 1660s.
Over the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the Surdam surname. Jacobus Surdam (1678-1745) was a prominent landowner and merchant in New York's Ulster County. His son, Jacobus Surdam Jr. (1707-1778), served as a captain in the Ulster County Militia during the French and Indian War.
Another noteworthy figure was Johannes Surdam (1742-1825), a soldier in the American Revolutionary War who fought in several battles, including the Battle of Monmouth. His descendant, John Surdam (1813-1890), was a successful businessman and landowner in Pennsylvania.
In the 19th century, Johannes Hendrik Surdam (1821-1895) was a Dutch theologian and professor at the University of Leiden, known for his contributions to the study of church history and Christian doctrine.
While the Surdam name has its roots in the Netherlands, it has since spread to other parts of the world, carried by descendants of early Dutch settlers and immigrants. Throughout its history, the surname has maintained a connection to its origins, reflecting the geographical and linguistic influences of its Dutch heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Surdam
Among Census respondents with the surname Surdam, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.2%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Surdam 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 Surdam surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.7% · 282
- Hispanic or Latino8.2% · 27
- Two or more races3.6% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.1% · 7
- Black or African American0.3% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Surdam
Surdam 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
#60,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 334
+3 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Down 2,803 places
2020
#65,168
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 329
-5 bearers (-1.5%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Down 4,821 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #57,544 | 331 | 0.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #60,347 | 334 | 0.11 | +3 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 2,803 places |
| 2020 | #65,168 | 329 | 0.11 | -5 bearers (-1.5%) | Down 4,821 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 Surdam 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 | #60,347 | #65,168 | -8.0% |
| Count | 334 | 329 | -1.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.11 | 0.11 | 0.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Surdam bearers went from 334 to 329 (-1.5% change). The surname moved down 4,821 positions in the national ranking, going from #60,347 to #65,168.
FAQ
Surdam surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Surdam?
Name Census estimates that about 377 living Americans carry the surname Surdam. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 909,163 residents.
How common is Surdam?
Surdam ranks #65,168 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.11 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 329 people with the surname Surdam. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (377), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.11 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 Surdam.
Has Surdam become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Surdam went from 334 recorded bearers to 329. That is a decrease of 5 (-1.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #60,347 to #65,168.
What does the Census say about the background of Surdam?
Among Census respondents with the surname Surdam, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.2%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Surdam in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.7% (282 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Surdam appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.7%), Hispanic (8.2%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Surdam (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 Surdam mean?
An Americanized form of the Dutch surname "Sur den Dam" meaning "by the dam". 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 Surdam (0.11 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 Surdam?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.