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

Tuinstra, 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 Tuinstra surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tuinstra in America

Tuinstra is the 35246th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tuinstra surname appeared 639 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 Tuinstra.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tuinstra 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 Tuinstra

The surname TUINSTRA is of Dutch origin, originating in the Netherlands during the medieval period. It is a locational surname derived from the Dutch words "tuin" meaning "garden" and "stra" meaning "street" or "road". The combination suggests the name originated from a place or settlement located near or along a road or street lined with gardens.

The earliest recorded instances of the TUINSTRA surname can be traced back to the 16th century in the Dutch provinces of Friesland and Groningen. Some variations in spelling include Tuijnstra, Tuynstra, and Tuynstrae. These variations likely arose due to differences in local dialects and the lack of standardized spelling conventions during that time.

One of the earliest documented individuals bearing the TUINSTRA name was Claes Tuynstra, a merchant from the city of Leeuwarden in Friesland, mentioned in records from the late 1500s. Another notable individual was Pieter Tuinstra, a prominent theologian and writer from Groningen, who lived during the early 17th century (1580-1648).

In the 18th century, the TUINSTRA name appears in various Dutch records, including the baptismal registers of the Dutch Reformed Church. One such entry from 1723 records the baptism of Jannetje Tuinstra, the daughter of Hendrik Tuinstra and Aafke Jacobs, in the town of Bierum, Groningen.

As the Dutch established colonies and settlements around the world, the TUINSTRA name spread to other regions. In the 19th century, some individuals bearing the surname can be found in records from Dutch colonies in South Africa and Indonesia (formerly the Dutch East Indies).

Other notable individuals with the TUINSTRA surname include:

1. Sjoerd Tuinstra (1907-1995), a Dutch politician and member of the House of Representatives.
2. Gerrit Tuinstra (1859-1935), a Dutch-American farmer and businessman in Iowa, United States.
3. Fokke Tuinstra (1899-1981), a Dutch sailor and Olympic gold medalist in sailing at the 1924 Summer Olympics.
4. Hilda Tuinstra (1905-1988), a Dutch-American author and translator.
5. Abe Tuinstra (1928-2010), a Dutch-Canadian farmer and community leader in Alberta, Canada.

The TUINSTRA surname continues to be prevalent in the Netherlands and among Dutch communities worldwide, reflecting its enduring legacy as a locational surname rooted in the country's history and geography.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tuinstra

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

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 Tuinstra 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 Tuinstra 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 Tuinstra was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!