Find out how popular the last name Tjoelker is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Tjoelker.

Tjoelker, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Tjoelker surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tjoelker in America

Tjoelker is the 87663rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tjoelker surname appeared 212 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Tjoelker.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tjoelker to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Tjoelker

The surname Tjoelker is believed to have originated in the Netherlands, specifically in the province of Friesland. It likely dates back to the 16th or 17th century. The name is thought to be derived from the Frisian word "tjoelke," meaning "small wooden bowl or container." This suggests that the name may have been an occupational surname initially given to someone who made or sold these types of containers.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Tjoelker surname can be found in the Rijksarchief (National Archives) of the Netherlands, where a record from 1632 mentions a man named Pieter Tjoelker from the city of Leeuwarden in Friesland. It's possible that this individual was one of the first to bear the surname.

In the 18th century, the name appears in various records from the Frisian region, often with slight variations in spelling, such as Tjolker or Tjoelcker. It's worth noting that place names in Friesland were often incorporated into surnames during this period, so it's possible that the name Tjoelker may have been derived from a specific location or village.

One of the earliest notable individuals with the Tjoelker surname was Douwe Tjoelker, born in 1745 in the village of Buitenpost, Friesland. He was a prominent farmer and landowner in the region.

Another individual of note was Sytse Tjoelker, born in 1802 in the village of Harlingen, Friesland. He was a merchant and trader who played a significant role in the local economy of the time.

In the 19th century, the Tjoelker surname began to spread beyond the borders of Friesland as individuals migrated to other parts of the Netherlands and even to other countries. One such individual was Douwe Tjoelker, born in 1835 in Leeuwarden, who later emigrated to the United States and settled in the state of Michigan.

Another notable figure was Pieter Tjoelker, born in 1872 in the village of Franeker, Friesland. He was a prominent lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Dutch parliament in the early 20th century.

As the name continued to spread, variations in spelling became more common, with some individuals adopting the spelling "Tjoelker" while others preferred "Tjolker" or even "Joelker." However, the name's roots in Friesland and its connection to the historical wooden bowl-making tradition remained strong.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tjoelker

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Tjoelker.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Tjoelker was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Tjoelker has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Tjoelker was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Tjoelker, please contact us.

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