2000
#146,011
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Vaessen
A locational surname originating from the Dutch village of Vaessen.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Vaessen. 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 Vaessen 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 Vaessen 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 Vaessen, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vaessen
The surname Vaessen originates from the Netherlands and dates back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Dutch word "vasse," meaning a bundle or bundle of straw, suggesting that the name may have been associated with someone who worked with straw, such as a thatcher or basket maker.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in Dutch records and archives from the 1500s. One notable early mention is in the Leiden City Archives from 1587, which lists a Jan Vaessen as a resident of the city.
In the 17th century, the name appears in various records across the Netherlands, including the baptismal records of the Dutch Reformed Church in Rotterdam, where a Pieter Vaessen is listed as having a child baptized in 1632.
The name Vaessen is also associated with the Dutch town of Venlo, located in the province of Limburg. Historical records indicate that there was a prominent Vaessen family living in Venlo during the 18th century, with several members holding positions of influence in the local government and community.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Vaessen was Hendrick Vaessen, born in Venlo in 1712. He served as a member of the town council and was considered a respected figure in the community.
Another notable figure from history with the surname Vaessen was Gerardus Vaessen, a Dutch painter born in Maastricht in 1768. He was known for his landscape paintings and portraits, and his works can be found in several museums in the Netherlands.
In the 19th century, the surname Vaessen began to spread beyond the Netherlands, with individuals bearing the name emigrating to other parts of Europe and even to the United States. One such individual was Johan Vaessen, born in Amsterdam in 1823, who later emigrated to the United States and settled in Pennsylvania.
Other notable individuals with the surname Vaessen include:
1. Cornelis Vaessen (1623-1681), a Dutch Golden Age painter known for his still-life paintings.
2. Johannes Vaessen (1766-1840), a Dutch Catholic priest and philosopher who wrote extensively on theological and philosophical topics.
3. Petrus Vaessen (1809-1882), a Dutch-born American businessman and philanthropist who helped establish several schools and churches in Wisconsin.
4. Theodoor Vaessen (1876-1942), a Dutch politician and journalist who served as a member of the Dutch parliament from 1917 to 1933.
5. Maria Vaessen (1909-1995), a Dutch author and poet who published several collections of poetry and novels throughout her career.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vaessen
Among Census respondents with the surname Vaessen, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Vaessen 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 Vaessen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.2% · 105
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vaessen
Vaessen 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
#137,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
+18 bearers (+17.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 8,684 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-14 bearers (-11.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,608 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #146,011 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #137,327 | 122 | 0.04 | +18 bearers (+17.3%) | Up 8,684 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -14 bearers (-11.5%) | Down 13,608 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 Vaessen 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 | #137,327 | #150,935 | -9.9% |
| Count | 122 | 108 | -11.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vaessen bearers went from 122 to 108 (-11.5% change). The surname moved down 13,608 positions in the national ranking, going from #137,327 to #150,935.
FAQ
Vaessen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vaessen?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Vaessen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Vaessen?
Vaessen 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 Vaessen. 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 Vaessen.
Has Vaessen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vaessen went from 122 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 14 (-11.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #137,327 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Vaessen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vaessen, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and Two or More Races (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 Vaessen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.2% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vaessen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.2%), Hispanic (1.9%), Two or More Races (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 Vaessen (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 Vaessen mean?
A locational surname originating from the Dutch village of Vaessen. 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 Vaessen (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 many people have the last name Vaessen?
If you just want to know how many people are called Vaessen, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.