2000
#132,259
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Terbeest
A Dutch surname derived from the elements "ter" meaning "at" and "beest" meaning livestock or farm animal.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Terbeest. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Terbeest 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Terbeest in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Terbeest, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Terbeest
The surname TERBEEST has its origins in the Netherlands, with records of the name dating back to the 16th century. The name is derived from the Dutch words "ter" meaning "at" and "beest" meaning "beast" or "animal". It is believed that the name originally referred to someone who lived near or worked with animals, possibly a farmer or a cattle rancher.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the TERBEEST surname can be found in the Dutch baptismal records of the mid-16th century. In 1567, a child named Pieter TERBEEST was baptized in the town of Leiden, which was a major center of the Dutch textile industry at the time.
In the 17th century, the TERBEEST name appeared in various Dutch records, including land deeds and municipal documents. For instance, in 1642, a man named Hendrick TERBEEST was listed as a landowner in the town of Delft.
The TERBEEST surname also has a connection to the Dutch settlement of the Cape Colony in South Africa. In the late 17th century, a group of Dutch settlers, including some with the TERBEEST surname, established farms and vineyards in the region around present-day Cape Town.
One notable TERBEEST in history was Jan TERBEEST (1654-1734), a Dutch painter known for his landscapes and genre scenes. He was born in Haarlem and studied under the renowned painter Adriaen van Ostade.
Another prominent individual with this surname was Willem TERBEEST (1785-1859), a Dutch politician and jurist who served as the Minister of Justice in the Netherlands from 1841 to 1848.
In the 19th century, the TERBEEST name gained recognition in the field of science with the work of Pieter TERBEEST (1819-1892), a Dutch botanist and horticulturist who specialized in the study of exotic plants and contributed significantly to the development of the Leiden Botanical Garden.
Johanna TERBEEST (1876-1959) was a Dutch women's rights activist and one of the pioneers of the suffrage movement in the Netherlands. She campaigned tirelessly for women's right to vote and played a crucial role in the eventual granting of that right in 1919.
Lastly, Cornelis TERBEEST (1901-1987) was a renowned Dutch architect known for his modernist designs and innovative use of concrete and glass in his buildings. Some of his notable works include the Rotterdam Centraal Station and the Van Nelle Factory, which is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Terbeest
Among Census respondents with the surname Terbeest, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Terbeest 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 Terbeest surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.1% · 114
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Terbeest
Terbeest 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
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-10 bearers (-8.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 19,273 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+7 bearers (+6.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,775 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #132,259 | 118 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-8.5%) | Down 19,273 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.5%) | Up 5,775 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 Terbeest 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 | #151,532 | #145,757 | 3.8% |
| Count | 108 | 115 | 6.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Terbeest bearers went from 108 to 115 (+6.5% change). The surname moved up 5,775 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #145,757.
FAQ
Terbeest surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Terbeest?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Terbeest. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Terbeest?
Terbeest ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Terbeest. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Terbeest.
Has Terbeest become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Terbeest went from 108 recorded bearers to 115. That is an increase of 7 (+6.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #151,532 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Terbeest?
Among Census respondents with the surname Terbeest, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Terbeest in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.1% (114 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Terbeest appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Terbeest (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 Terbeest mean?
A Dutch surname derived from the elements "ter" meaning "at" and "beest" meaning livestock or farm animal. 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 Terbeest (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 Terbeest?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.