2000
#103,706
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 160
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Verkaik
A Dutch surname derived from the words "veer" meaning "ferry" and "kaik" meaning "small boat".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 250 Americans carry the last name Verkaik. That puts it at #90,848 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,371,017 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Verkaik 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
250
1 in 1,371,017
Census rank
#90,848
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
218
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 218 bearers of the surname Verkaik in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 90848th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Verkaik, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Verkaik
The surname VERKAIK has its origins in the Netherlands. It is believed to have emerged in the late 16th or early 17th century, during the Dutch Golden Age. The name is thought to be derived from the Dutch words "verk" meaning "pig" and "kaik" which is a variant spelling of "kaak" meaning "jaw" or "cheek".
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name VERKAIK can be found in the baptismal records of the city of Amsterdam, dated 1621. The entry mentions a child named Pieter Verkaik, born to parents Dirk and Maria Verkaik. This suggests that the name was already established in the Netherlands by the early 17th century.
In the late 17th century, the name VERKAIK appeared in the records of the Dutch East India Company (VOC). A merchant named Jan Verkaik (1653-1722) is listed as having made several voyages to the Dutch East Indies between 1674 and 1695.
During the 18th century, the name VERKAIK was associated with the city of Leiden in the province of South Holland. Historical records from this period mention several individuals with the surname, including a prominent family of brewers and inn-keepers. One notable member of this family was Willem Verkaik (1712-1781), who served as the mayor of Leiden from 1767 to 1769.
In the 19th century, the name VERKAIK spread beyond the Netherlands as Dutch immigrants and settlers carried it to other parts of the world. For example, a farmer named Hendrik Verkaik (1825-1898) is recorded as having emigrated from the Netherlands to South Africa in 1852, where he and his descendants established a successful agricultural community.
Another notable individual with the surname VERKAIK was Pieter Verkaik (1857-1904), a Dutch artist and painter who was part of the Hague School movement. His works, which often depicted scenes of daily life in the Netherlands, are featured in several prominent art museums across Europe.
While the surname VERKAIK is not as common as some other Dutch names, it has maintained a presence throughout the centuries and has been carried across borders by Dutch emigrants and their descendants. Its origins can be traced back to the early modern period in the Netherlands, where it likely originated as a descriptive surname related to a particular physical characteristic or occupation.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Verkaik
Among Census respondents with the surname Verkaik, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Verkaik 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 Verkaik surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.4% · 197
- Hispanic or Latino5.0% · 11
- Two or more races2.3% · 5
- Black or African American0.9% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Verkaik
Verkaik 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
#98,099
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 185
+25 bearers (+15.6%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Up 5,607 places
2020
#90,848
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 218
+33 bearers (+17.8%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Up 7,251 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #103,706 | 160 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #98,099 | 185 | 0.06 | +25 bearers (+15.6%) | Up 5,607 places |
| 2020 | #90,848 | 218 | 0.07 | +33 bearers (+17.8%) | Up 7,251 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 Verkaik 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 | #98,099 | #90,848 | 7.4% |
| Count | 185 | 218 | 17.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.07 | 21.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Verkaik bearers went from 185 to 218 (+17.8% change). The surname moved up 7,251 positions in the national ranking, going from #98,099 to #90,848.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Verkaik
FAQ
Verkaik surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Verkaik?
Name Census estimates that about 250 living Americans carry the surname Verkaik. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,371,017 residents.
How common is Verkaik?
Verkaik ranks #90,848 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.07 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 218 people with the surname Verkaik. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (250), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.07 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 Verkaik.
Has Verkaik become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Verkaik went from 185 recorded bearers to 218. That is an increase of 33 (+17.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #98,099 to #90,848.
What does the Census say about the background of Verkaik?
Among Census respondents with the surname Verkaik, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Verkaik in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.4% (197 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Verkaik appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.4%), Hispanic (5.0%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Verkaik (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 Verkaik mean?
A Dutch surname derived from the words "veer" meaning "ferry" and "kaik" meaning "small boat". 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 Verkaik (0.07 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 last name Verkaik?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Verkaik on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.