2010
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Tenbroek
A Dutch surname referring to someone living near a small brook or stream.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Tenbroek. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tenbroek 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Tenbroek in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tenbroek, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.3%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tenbroek
The surname Tenbroek has its origins in the Netherlands, where it first emerged during the 12th century. The name is derived from the Dutch words "ten" meaning "at the" and "broek" meaning "marsh" or "swampy area." It is believed to have been originally used as a descriptive name for someone who lived near a marshy area or brook.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in a Dutch manuscript from the year 1248, which mentions a person named Willem ten Broeke. This document provides evidence of the name's existence and usage during the Middle Ages in the Low Countries.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Tenbroek surname began to appear in various Dutch records and documents, particularly in the provinces of North Holland and South Holland. Some notable individuals bearing this name from this period include Jacobus Tenbroek, a merchant born in Amsterdam in 1562, and Pieter Tenbroek, a painter from Leiden who was active in the early 17th century.
As the Dutch colonial empire expanded, the name Tenbroek was also carried to other parts of the world, including the Dutch East Indies (present-day Indonesia) and the Dutch colonies in North America. One notable figure was Dirck Tenbroeck, a Dutch settler who arrived in New Netherland (present-day New York) in the 1640s and became a prominent landowner and magistrate.
In the 18th century, the Tenbroek surname continued to be found in various parts of the Netherlands, as well as in Dutch settlements around the world. One notable individual from this period was Pieter Tenbroek, a Dutch East India Company official who served as the Governor of Java from 1753 to 1761.
As the 19th century dawned, the Tenbroek name could be found in various parts of Europe and the Americas, with individuals bearing this surname contributing to various fields such as politics, business, and academia. One notable figure was Jacobus Tenbroek, a Dutch-American jurist and politician who served as a member of the New York State Assembly in the 1820s.
Throughout its history, the Tenbroek surname has been spelled in various ways, including Tenbroeck, Ten Broeck, and Tenbroek. However, the core meaning and origin of the name remain rooted in the Dutch language and the geographical features of the Low Countries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tenbroek
Among Census respondents with the surname Tenbroek, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.3%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Tenbroek 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 Tenbroek surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.6% · 106
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.3% · 5
- Two or more races2.6% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tenbroek
Tenbroek appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+6 bearers (+5.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,077 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.4%) | Up 4,077 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 Tenbroek 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 | #148,347 | #144,270 | 2.7% |
| Count | 111 | 117 | 5.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tenbroek bearers went from 111 to 117 (+5.4% change). The surname moved up 4,077 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #144,270.
FAQ
Tenbroek surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tenbroek?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Tenbroek. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Tenbroek?
Tenbroek ranks #144,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 117 people with the surname Tenbroek. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Tenbroek.
Has Tenbroek become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tenbroek went from 111 recorded bearers to 117. That is an increase of 6 (+5.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #148,347 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Tenbroek?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tenbroek, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.3%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Tenbroek in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.6% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tenbroek appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.3%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Tenbroek (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 Tenbroek mean?
A Dutch surname referring to someone living near a small brook or stream. 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 Tenbroek (0.04 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 share the surname Tenbroek?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.