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

Vlietstra, 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 Vlietstra surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Vlietstra in America

Vlietstra is the 52619th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Vlietstra surname appeared 394 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 Vlietstra.

We can also compare 2010 data for Vlietstra 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 Vlietstra

The surname Vlietstra originated in the Netherlands during the 17th century. It is derived from the Dutch words "vliet," meaning a small stream or creek, and "stra," meaning a road or path. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a road or path alongside a small creek or stream.

The earliest recorded instances of the Vlietstra surname can be found in Dutch church records and civil registrations from the late 1600s and early 1700s. The name appears to have been particularly common in the regions of South Holland and Utrecht, where many small creeks and waterways were present.

One of the earliest known individuals with the Vlietstra surname was Jan Vlietstra, born in Rotterdam in 1678. He was a merchant and trader who was involved in the transportation of goods along the local waterways. Another notable figure was Pieter Vlietstra (1705-1782), a farmer and landowner from the town of Gouda, who owned several parcels of land along the banks of the Hollandse IJssel river.

In the 19th century, the name Vlietstra began to spread beyond the Netherlands as some family members emigrated to other parts of Europe and North America. One such individual was Gerrit Vlietstra (1822-1897), who left the Netherlands in 1848 and eventually settled in the Dutch community of Pella, Iowa, in the United States.

Another notable bearer of the Vlietstra surname was Johannes Vlietstra (1862-1932), a Dutch theologian and professor at the University of Utrecht. He was known for his writings on the Dutch Reformed Church and its history.

In more recent times, the name has been carried by individuals such as Cornelis Vlietstra (1912-1988), a Dutch politician who served as a member of the House of Representatives in the Netherlands from 1959 to 1977.

While the Vlietstra surname is not among the most common in the Netherlands, it has a rich history and has been associated with various professions and walks of life over the centuries, from merchants and farmers to academics and politicians.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Vlietstra

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

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

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

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