2000
#24,406
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 961
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.36
Rare Last name
Sytsma
A patronymic surname from West Frisian meaning "son of Syttje".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,260 Americans carry the last name Sytsma. That puts it at #23,795 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.37 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 272,027 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sytsma 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
1.3K
1 in 272,027
Census rank
#23,795
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,099 bearers of the surname Sytsma in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.37 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 23795th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sytsma, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sytsma
The surname SYTSMA originated in the Friesland province of the Netherlands in the 16th century. It is derived from the Frisian language and likely stems from the common Frisian surname "Sytses", meaning "son of Sytse". Sytse itself is thought to be a dialectal form of the name Sixtus.
Early records show variations in spelling such as Sitsma, Sytzsma, and Sytzama. The surname may have been influenced by the place name Zitsema or Sytzsmahusum in the Friesland region. This village name incorporates the Frisian words "hus" meaning house and "ama" meaning area or region.
One of the earliest known references to the SYTSMA name appears in the Frisian municipal records of Dokkum in 1594, listing a Dirck Sytzsma as a resident. Another early record from 1617 in Harlingen mentions a Sythje Sytzsma.
Notable individuals with the SYTSMA surname include Rein Sytsma (1856-1932), a Dutch politician and member of the House of Representatives. Jouke Sytsma (1894-1983) was a Frisian author and poet. Wietse Sytsma (1957-2018) was a Dutch football player and manager.
In the United States, Douwe Sytsma (1903-1977) was a Dutch-American engineer and professor at the University of Michigan. Johannes Sytsma (1928-2013) was a Dutch-American philosopher and professor at Syracuse University.
While most prevalent in the Netherlands and among Dutch diaspora communities, the SYTSMA surname has also been recorded in other regions, likely due to migration and cultural exchange over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sytsma
Among Census respondents with the surname Sytsma, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Sytsma 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 Sytsma surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 1,015
- Two or more races2.6% · 29
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 24
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.6% · 18
- Black or African American0.7% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sytsma
Sytsma 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
#23,750
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,065
+104 bearers (+10.8%)
Per 100,000 0.36
Rank movement Up 656 places
2020
#23,795
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,099
+34 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 0.37
Rank movement Down 45 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #24,406 | 961 | 0.36 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #23,750 | 1,065 | 0.36 | +104 bearers (+10.8%) | Up 656 places |
| 2020 | #23,795 | 1,099 | 0.37 | +34 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 45 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 Sytsma 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 | #23,750 | #23,795 | -0.2% |
| Count | 1,065 | 1,099 | 3.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.36 | 0.37 | 2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sytsma bearers went from 1,065 to 1,099 (+3.2% change). The surname moved down 45 positions in the national ranking, going from #23,750 to #23,795.
FAQ
Sytsma surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sytsma?
Name Census estimates that about 1,260 living Americans carry the surname Sytsma. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 272,027 residents.
How common is Sytsma?
Sytsma ranks #23,795 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.37 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 1,099 people with the surname Sytsma. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,260), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.37 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.37 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 Sytsma.
Has Sytsma become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sytsma went from 1,065 recorded bearers to 1,099. That is an increase of 34 (+3.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #23,750 to #23,795.
What does the Census say about the background of Sytsma?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sytsma, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Sytsma in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (1,015 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sytsma appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Two or More Races (2.6%), Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Sytsma (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 Sytsma mean?
A patronymic surname from West Frisian meaning "son of Syttje". 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 Sytsma (0.37 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 common is the surname Sytsma?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Sytsma at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.