2010
#135,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Tenbroeke
A Dutch surname meaning "at the brook" or "by the brook".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Tenbroeke. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tenbroeke 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Tenbroeke in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tenbroeke, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tenbroeke
The surname TENBROEKE originated in the Netherlands, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Dutch words "ten" meaning "at the" and "broeke" meaning "marsh" or "swampy area." This suggests that the name likely referred to individuals who lived near or worked in marshy regions.
During the Dutch Golden Age, the name TENBROEKE appeared in several historical records and manuscripts. One notable example is Pieter Jansz TENBROEKE, a prominent merchant and ship owner who lived in Amsterdam from 1585 to 1648. He played a significant role in the Dutch East India Company's trade with Asia.
Another early bearer of the name was Cornelis TENBROEKE, a Dutch military officer born in 1620. He served in the Dutch East Indies and later became the Governor of Suriname from 1672 to 1676.
In the 18th century, the TENBROEKE family had a strong presence in the city of Leiden. Jan TENBROEKE, born in 1712, was a respected lawyer and legal scholar who authored several influential works on Dutch law.
As the Dutch began to establish colonies in various parts of the world, the name TENBROEKE spread to different regions. One notable figure was Jacobus TENBROEKE, who was born in Batavia (present-day Jakarta) in 1786. He served as a high-ranking official in the Dutch East Indies and played a crucial role in the administration of the colony.
In the United States, the name TENBROEKE can be traced back to Dutch settlers who arrived in the 17th and 18th centuries. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname was Dirck TENBROEKE, who was born in 1678 in New Amsterdam (present-day New York City). He was a prominent merchant and landowner in the colony.
Another notable American bearer of the name was Henry TENBROEKE, born in 1846 in New York. He was a successful businessman and philanthropist who made significant contributions to various educational and cultural institutions in the state.
Throughout history, the surname TENBROEKE has been associated with individuals from diverse backgrounds, including merchants, military officers, lawyers, and colonial administrators. While the name may have evolved slightly in its spelling or pronunciation over time, its origins can be traced back to the marshy regions of the Netherlands, reflecting the geographical and occupational roots of its earliest bearers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tenbroeke
Among Census respondents with the surname Tenbroeke, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Tenbroeke 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 Tenbroeke surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.7% · 101
- Two or more races7.3% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tenbroeke
Tenbroeke 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
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-15 bearers (-12.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,612 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #135,593 | 124 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | -15 bearers (-12.1%) | Down 14,612 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 Tenbroeke 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 | #135,593 | #150,205 | -10.8% |
| Count | 124 | 109 | -12.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tenbroeke bearers went from 124 to 109 (-12.1% change). The surname moved down 14,612 positions in the national ranking, going from #135,593 to #150,205.
FAQ
Tenbroeke surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tenbroeke?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Tenbroeke. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Tenbroeke?
Tenbroeke ranks #150,205 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 109 people with the surname Tenbroeke. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), 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 Tenbroeke.
Has Tenbroeke become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tenbroeke went from 124 recorded bearers to 109. That is a decrease of 15 (-12.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #135,593 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Tenbroeke?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tenbroeke, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.3%). 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 Tenbroeke in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tenbroeke appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.7%), Two or More Races (7.3%). 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 Tenbroeke (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 Tenbroeke mean?
A Dutch surname meaning "at the brook" or "by the brook". 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 Tenbroeke (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 are called Tenbroeke?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Tenbroeke at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.