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

VanAlst, 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 VanAlst surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of VanAlst in America

VanAlst is the 58481st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The VanAlst surname appeared 347 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname VanAlst.

We can also compare 2010 data for VanAlst 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 VanAlst

The surname VANALST originated from the Netherlands in the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Dutch words "van" meaning "from" and "alst" referring to the town of Aalst in the Flemish region of Belgium. The name was likely taken by individuals who migrated from Aalst to other parts of the Low Countries or beyond.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the VANALST surname can be found in the baptismal records of the Dutch Reformed Church in Amsterdam, where a child named Johannes VANALST was baptized in 1612. This suggests that the name had already been established in the Netherlands by the early 17th century.

In the late 17th century, a notable figure named Pieter VANALST (1642-1720) was a prominent Dutch merchant and trader who established a successful business exporting goods to the Dutch East Indies. His success and wealth enabled him to purchase a large estate in the city of Delft, where he lived until his death.

During the 18th century, the VANALST name appeared in various records across the Netherlands and Belgium. In 1756, a man named Jan VANALST (1721-1789) from the town of Breda was appointed as a magistrate, serving in this position for many years.

As the Dutch colonial empire expanded, the VANALST surname also began to appear in records from the Dutch East Indies (modern-day Indonesia) and other Dutch colonies. One such individual was Hendrik VANALST (1782-1849), a Dutch colonial administrator who served as the Governor of the Moluccas Islands from 1818 to 1826.

In the 19th century, a notable figure named Adriaan VANALST (1817-1892) was a prominent Dutch painter and artist known for his landscape and genre paintings. He studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Amsterdam and his works were widely exhibited and celebrated during his lifetime.

While the VANALST surname originated in the Netherlands and Belgium, over the centuries it has spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora. However, the bulk of historical records and notable figures associated with this surname can be traced back to its Dutch and Flemish roots.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name VanAlst

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

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 VanAlst 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 VanAlst 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 VanAlst was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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