Explore the Family Name Feenstra
The meaning of Feenstra
West Frisian and Dutch: topographic name for someone who lived in a boggy area, from Frisian fean, Dutch veen ‘peat, bog’ + the suffix -stra from Old Frisian sittera ‘inhabitant of’; or a habitational name for someone from any of several places named with the element veen. Sometimes also applied as a nickname to a peat worker. Compare Veenstra. Some characteristic forenames: Dutch Hendrik, Cornie, Dirk, Gerrit, Wouter.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Feenstra in the United States?
Based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Feenstra has seen a rise in popularity between 2000 and 2010. Its rank increased from 23,582 to 23,019; this shows an improvement of 2.39 percent. The count, which refers to the number of people bearing the surname, also rose from 1,003 to 1,110, marking an increase of 10.67 percent. This means that for every 100,000 people, the proportion with the Feenstra surname went up slightly from 0.37 to 0.38 during this period.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #23,582 | #23,019 | 2.39% |
| Count | 1,003 | 1,110 | 10.67% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.37 | 0.38 | 2.7% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Feenstra
The Decennial U.S. Census data also provides insights into the ethnic identity associated with the Feenstra surname. A majority of those bearing this name identify as White at 96.11 percent in 2000, dropping marginally to 95.95 percent in 2010. The percentage of individuals identifying as Hispanic remained relatively stable, moving from 1.69 percent to 1.71 percent over the decade. Interestingly, the proportion of those identifying with two or more races increased by 40 percent, from 0.90 percent to 1.26 percent. Notably, there was an emergence of individuals identifying as Black with the Feenstra surname, registering at 0.72 percent in 2010 from zero in 2000. Meanwhile, the American Indian and Alaskan Native category saw a drop from 0.60 percent to zero within the same time frame.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 96.11% | 95.95% | -0.17% |
| Hispanic | 1.69% | 1.71% | 1.18% |
| Two or More Races | 0.9% | 1.26% | 40% |
| Black | 0% | 0.72% | 0% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.6% | 0% | 0% |