2010
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Westenbroek
A habitational name for someone from Westbroek, Netherlands.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Westenbroek. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Westenbroek 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Westenbroek in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Westenbroek, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.3%. The next largest groups are Black (2.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Westenbroek
The surname Westenbroek has its origins in the Netherlands, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is a locational surname, deriving from the Dutch words "westen" meaning "west" and "broek" meaning "marsh" or "swampy land." This suggests that the name likely originated from a place located in a marshy area to the west of a particular town or region.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Westenbroek can be found in the archives of the city of Utrecht, dating back to the 14th century. Mentions of individuals bearing this surname appear in various historical records and documents from the Dutch provinces of Utrecht, Gelderland, and Overijssel during the 15th and 16th centuries.
The Westenbroek name has been associated with several notable figures throughout history. In the 17th century, Cornelis Westenbroek (1635-1683) was a Dutch Golden Age painter known for his still life and portrait works. Another prominent figure was Christiaan Westenbroek (1742-1824), a Dutch lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Batavian National Assembly during the revolutionary period in the late 18th century.
In the 19th century, Jacobus Westenbroek (1804-1876) was a Dutch military officer who played a significant role in the Dutch East Indies, serving as the Governor of Sumatra from 1861 to 1866. Additionally, Gerrit Westenbroek (1805-1883) was a Dutch politician and jurist who served as a member of the Council of State and the Supreme Court of the Netherlands.
One of the most notable figures with the Westenbroek surname was Petrus Westenbroek (1904-1989), a Dutch resistance fighter during World War II. He was actively involved in the Dutch resistance movement and played a crucial role in assisting Allied pilots who were shot down over the Netherlands.
While the Westenbroek name originated in the Netherlands, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and Australia, due to migration and immigration patterns. However, its roots can be traced back to the Dutch provinces where it first emerged as a locational surname indicating a connection to a specific geographical area.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Westenbroek
Among Census respondents with the surname Westenbroek, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.3%. The next largest groups are Black (2.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Westenbroek 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 Westenbroek surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.3% · 104
- Black or African American2.8% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Westenbroek
Westenbroek 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
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-2 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,540 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.8%) | Down 1,540 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 Westenbroek 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 | #149,395 | #150,935 | -1.0% |
| Count | 110 | 108 | -1.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Westenbroek bearers went from 110 to 108 (-1.8% change). The surname moved down 1,540 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #150,935.
FAQ
Westenbroek surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Westenbroek?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Westenbroek. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Westenbroek?
Westenbroek ranks #150,935 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 108 people with the surname Westenbroek. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), 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 Westenbroek.
Has Westenbroek become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Westenbroek went from 110 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #149,395 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Westenbroek?
Among Census respondents with the surname Westenbroek, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.3%. The next largest groups are Black (2.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (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 Westenbroek in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.3% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Westenbroek appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.3%), Black (2.8%), American Indian/Alaska Native (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 Westenbroek (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 Westenbroek mean?
A habitational name for someone from Westbroek, Netherlands. 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 Westenbroek (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 common is the surname Westenbroek?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Westenbroek on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.