2000
#19,526
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,279
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.47
Rare Last name
Vanantwerp
A Dutch surname meaning "from Antwerp", referring to the city in Belgium.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,467 Americans carry the last name Vanantwerp. That puts it at #20,911 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.43 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 233,643 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vanantwerp 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
1.5K
1 in 233,643
Census rank
#20,911
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,279 bearers of the surname Vanantwerp in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.43 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 20911th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanantwerp, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vanantwerp
The surname VANANTWERP has its origins in the Netherlands, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated from the Dutch town of Antwerp, which was known as "Antwerpen" in the local dialect. The prefix "Van" means "from" or "of" in Dutch, indicating that the name referred to someone who hailed from Antwerp.
The earliest recorded instances of the name VANANTWERP can be traced back to the Dutch province of Brabant, where Antwerp is located. In the 16th and 17th centuries, various spellings of the name appeared in official records, such as "Van Antwerpen," "Van Antwerpe," and "Vanantwerp."
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Jan Vanantwerp, a merchant who lived in Antwerp in the late 16th century. His name appears in several trade records from the period, indicating that he was involved in the city's thriving commerce.
During the 17th century, the name VANANTWERP began to spread beyond the Netherlands as Dutch settlers emigrated to other parts of Europe and the New World. In the Dutch Colony of New Netherland (later New York), several families with the surname VANANTWERP were among the early settlers.
One notable figure with this surname was Pieter Vanantwerp, a Dutch colonist who arrived in New Netherland in the 1640s. He played a significant role in the development of the colony and later became a prominent landowner in what is now Brooklyn, New York.
Another historical figure bearing the name VANANTWERP was Hendrick Vanantwerp, a Dutch soldier who fought in the Eighty Years' War against Spain in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He is mentioned in several military records and chronicles from that period.
In the 18th century, the VANANTWERP surname spread further across Europe and the Americas. Johann Vanantwerp, a German-born painter who lived in the early 1700s, is remembered for his intricate portraits and religious works.
As the name VANANTWERP continued to disperse, various branches of the family settled in different regions, leading to the emergence of distinct spelling variations, such as "VanAntwerp" and "Van Antwerpen." Despite these variations, the name's connection to the city of Antwerp remained a common thread throughout its history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vanantwerp
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanantwerp, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Vanantwerp 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 Vanantwerp surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.8% · 1,148
- Hispanic or Latino4.9% · 63
- Two or more races3.8% · 48
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 11
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 5
- Black or African American0.3% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vanantwerp
Vanantwerp 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
#20,248
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,314
+35 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.45
Rank movement Down 722 places
2020
#20,911
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,279
-35 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.43
Rank movement Down 663 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #19,526 | 1,279 | 0.47 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #20,248 | 1,314 | 0.45 | +35 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 722 places |
| 2020 | #20,911 | 1,279 | 0.43 | -35 bearers (-2.7%) | Down 663 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 Vanantwerp 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 | #20,248 | #20,911 | -3.3% |
| Count | 1,314 | 1,279 | -2.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.45 | 0.43 | -4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vanantwerp bearers went from 1,314 to 1,279 (-2.7% change). The surname moved down 663 positions in the national ranking, going from #20,248 to #20,911.
FAQ
Vanantwerp surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vanantwerp?
Name Census estimates that about 1,467 living Americans carry the surname Vanantwerp. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 233,643 residents.
How common is Vanantwerp?
Vanantwerp ranks #20,911 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.43 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 1,279 people with the surname Vanantwerp. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,467), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.43 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.43 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 Vanantwerp.
Has Vanantwerp become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vanantwerp went from 1,314 recorded bearers to 1,279. That is a decrease of 35 (-2.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #20,248 to #20,911.
What does the Census say about the background of Vanantwerp?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanantwerp, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Vanantwerp in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.8% (1,148 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vanantwerp appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.8%), Hispanic (4.9%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Vanantwerp (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 Vanantwerp mean?
A Dutch surname meaning "from Antwerp", referring to the city in Belgium. 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 Vanantwerp (0.43 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 Americans have the surname Vanantwerp?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.