Find out how popular the last name VanAllen is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named VanAllen.

VanAllen, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the VanAllen surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of VanAllen in America

VanAllen is the 12842nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The VanAllen surname appeared 2,397 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname VanAllen.

We can also compare 2010 data for VanAllen to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name VanAllen

The surname VANALLEN originated in the Netherlands in the 16th century. It is derived from the Dutch words "van" meaning "from" and "allen" meaning "alder trees" or "alders". The name likely referred to someone who lived near a grove of alder trees or a place named for its alder trees.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Pieter VanAllen, born around 1580 in the village of Zutphen in the Gelderland province of the Netherlands. Records show he immigrated to the Dutch colony of New Netherland (present-day New York) in 1630 and settled in what is now Albany.

The VanAllen name appears in the 1674 census of the town of Beverwyck (now Albany), indicating the family had established roots in the region. A prominent early member was Johannes VanAllen (1636-1718), a farmer and landowner whose estate was located along the Hudson River.

In the late 17th century, the VanAllen family began using the anglicized spelling "VanAllen" instead of the Dutch "VanAllen". This trend continued as the family became more assimilated into English colonial society.

Notable VanAllens from the 18th and 19th centuries include Jacob VanAllen (1731-1808), a soldier in the American Revolutionary War, and James VanAllen (1744-1826), who served as a member of the New York State Assembly.

The most famous bearer of the name was James Alfred VanAllen (1914-2006), an American pioneer in the field of space exploration. He discovered the radiation belts surrounding Earth that were subsequently named the "VanAllen Belts" in his honor.

Other noteworthy individuals with this surname include artist William VanAllen (1878-1954), known for his portraits and landscapes, and Olympic swimmer John VanAllen (born 1963), who won a bronze medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name VanAllen

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname VanAllen.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for VanAllen was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of VanAllen has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name VanAllen was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of VanAllen, please contact us.

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