The Dykstra surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 7,913 people carried this name — #4,485 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 37,300 people counted. That is up 6% from 7,451 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Dykstra surname

Borrowed from West Frisian Dykstra or Dutch Dijkstra, a topographic surname from Old Frisian dik (“dike”), from Proto-West Germanic *dīk.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Dykstra» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

In Argentina’s national register

At least 53 people named Dykstra live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Buenos Aires Province 41
Río Negro 12

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In print

Dykstra in American newspapers,
1899–1918.

Newspaper page from The Dakota Chief carrying the name Dykstra
The Dakota Chief 1899-04-27
Newspaper page from Hot Springs Weekly Star carrying the name Dykstra
Hot Springs Weekly Star 1899-04-28
Newspaper page from Saturday News carrying the name Dykstra
Saturday News 1918-03-21

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 2,251 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Dykstra in Australian newspapers,
1910s–1980s.

180 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Dykstra. The most, 54, date from the 1940s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in New South Wales, at 1.6 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 99
Queensland 40
Tasmania 12
Victoria 12
Western Australia 6
ACT (Canberra) 4
South Australia 3

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Dykstra.

Who carried it

People named Dykstra,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Waling Dykstra
    Waling Dykstra 1821–1914 · writer
  • Clarence Addison Dykstra
    Clarence Addison Dykstra 1883–1950 · historian
  • John Dykstra 1875–1959 · politician
  • Ralph Ralph Dykstra 1879– · veterinarian

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 59 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Dykstra,
in the records of 6 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States506 records

506 records of the Dykstra name in the United States
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 157
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 145
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 125
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 42
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 35
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 2
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Donald B. Dykstra

    Born 1917 in New York. Enlisted 1943 at Buffalo; sales clerk from Erie County. U.S. Army Air Forces veteran of World War II; died 2000, buried at Holy Cross Cemetery, Buffalo, New York.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Pieter Dykstra

    Arrived at New York in 1884 aboard the Edam from Amsterdam, aged 26; farmer. From Netherlands, the Netherlands.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. A U.S. Army record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864
    Example: U.S. burial record, 1864
    Burial record Steven C. Dykstra

    U.S. Army veteran of the Vietnam War. Born 1950, died 2001; buried at Fort Logan National Cemetery, Colorado.

    U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)

Showing 3 of 506 records for Dykstra in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864, U.S. National Archives (public domain).

Netherlands333 records

333 records of the Dykstra name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 182
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 83
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 68
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Arno Dykstra

    Died 1963 in 's-Gravenhage, aged 50; "loodsmelter".

    Open Archives, Haags Gemeentearchief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Sjoerd Wouters Dykstra

    In the population register of Soest; labourer, born 1862 in Wierum.

    Open Archives, Archief Eemland (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Abraham Jan Dykstra

    Married in 1896 in Vrijenban.

    Open Archives, Archief Delft (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 333 records for Dykstra in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Australia13 records

13 records of the Dykstra name in Australia
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 9
  • Tasmanian Names Index 3
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 1
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Eddy Dykstra

    Maintenance fitter of Sebastopol, Victoria; died 1989.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  2. The first page of an emigration file from Gündlingen, Baden, 1883
    Example: German emigration file, 1883
    Emigration record Van J.d Dykstra

    Left Hobart Town in 1846 aboard the Zuidpool, bound for Whaling Voyage, as crew.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Sikka Dykstra

    Died 1972 in Westbury; inquest held in Tasmania.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 13 records for Dykstra in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Emigration file, Gündlingen, 1883, Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg, Staatsarchiv Freiburg B 694/1 Nr. 1389 (CC BY 4.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Canada10 records

10 records of the Dykstra name in Canada
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 3
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 3
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 2
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 1
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 1
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Auke Dykstra

    Died 1989, aged 89; buried at Brookside Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Willem Peter Dykstra

    Died 1965 in New Glasgow, Pictou, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  3. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Lloyd Nelson Dykstra

    Died in service in 1945.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 10 records for Dykstra in Canada.

Counts: City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

France1 record

1 record of the Dykstra name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Fornelio Dykstra

    Born 1900 in the Netherlands; died 1994 in Auxerre (Yonne).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Germany1 record

1 record of the Dykstra name in Germany Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Hans Dykstra

    From Cassel. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 10 May 1918.

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Dykstra.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Dykstra is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the Dykstra volume
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