2000
#130,443
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Zeinstra
An occupational surname likely referring to a maker or dealer of zinc products.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Zeinstra. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Zeinstra 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Zeinstra in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Zeinstra, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Zeinstra
The surname Zeinstra finds its origins in the Netherlands, with a particular concentration in the northern provinces of Friesland and Groningen. This surname likely emerged in the late Middle Ages, a time of significant population growth and the establishment of surnames for identification.
Zeinstra is a classic example of a Frisian name, characterized by the suffix '-stra', which typically denotes geographical or locational origins. In Frisian, '-stra' is similar to '-son' in English and often translates to "from" or "of." The prefix 'Zein' could be rooted in a place name or a personal name that has since become obscure. Older spellings of the surname, such as Zeinster or Zeinstera, may be found in historical records.
One of the earliest references to the name can be found in a 16th-century Friesland municipal registry, which lists a Jan Zeinstra as a landowner in the region. This suggests the name was well established by the 1500s, associated with property and lineage.
The name Zeinstra appears in various historical documents. In the early 17th century, a Pieter Zeinstra was recorded in marriage records from Leeuwarden, indicating the surname's spread among different towns in the Frisian area. Another notable mention is a 1743 maritime record listing Albert Zeinstra as the captain of a trading vessel, highlighting the family’s involvement in regional trade.
During the 19th century, Hidde Zeinstra gained modest fame for his participation in the early development of Friesland's agricultural cooperatives. His innovative approaches to farming and dairy production contributed to significant economic advancements in the region. Hidde was born in 1821 and passed away in 1888.
Further into the 20th century, the name gained prominence through sports, notably with Jeen Zeinstra, a competitive skater who represented the Netherlands in multiple events. Born in 1956, Jeen Zeinstra continues to be recognized for his contributions to Dutch speed skating.
Lastly, the academic world saw contributions from Jitse Zeinstra, a notable historian born in 1948 who specialized in medieval Frisian history. Jitse's extensive research offered valuable insights into the cultural and societal structures of the region during the Middle Ages, cementing the Zeinstra name as one associated with scholarly excellence.
The surname Zeinstra reflects a deep connection to the Frisian heritage and continues to be a symbol of the region's rich cultural history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zeinstra
Among Census respondents with the surname Zeinstra, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Zeinstra 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 Zeinstra surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.1% · 102
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zeinstra
Zeinstra 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-7 bearers (-5.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,758 places
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-9 bearers (-8.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 7,389 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #130,443 | 120 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-5.8%) | Down 15,758 places |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | -9 bearers (-8.0%) | Down 7,389 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 Zeinstra 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 | #146,201 | #153,590 | -5.1% |
| Count | 113 | 104 | -8.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zeinstra bearers went from 113 to 104 (-8.0% change). The surname moved down 7,389 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #153,590.
FAQ
Zeinstra surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zeinstra?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Zeinstra. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Zeinstra?
Zeinstra ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 104 people with the surname Zeinstra. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Zeinstra.
Has Zeinstra become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zeinstra went from 113 recorded bearers to 104. That is a decrease of 9 (-8.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Zeinstra?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zeinstra, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Zeinstra in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.1% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zeinstra appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.1%), Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Zeinstra (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 Zeinstra mean?
An occupational surname likely referring to a maker or dealer of zinc products. 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 Zeinstra (0.03 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 have the surname Zeinstra?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.