2000
#150,436
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Vanantwerpen
A surname indicating ancestry from the Belgian city of Antwerp.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Vanantwerpen. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vanantwerpen 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Vanantwerpen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanantwerpen, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vanantwerpen
The surname VANANTWERPEN has its origins in the Low Countries, specifically in the region surrounding the city of Antwerp in modern-day Belgium. The name is derived from the Dutch words "van" meaning "from" and "Antwerpen" referring to the city of Antwerp. It is believed to have emerged as a locative surname, indicating a person's place of origin or residence.
The earliest recorded instances of the VANANTWERPEN surname can be traced back to the 14th century, when the city of Antwerp was a thriving commercial and cultural center. The name is likely to have been adopted by individuals or families who migrated from Antwerp to other parts of the Low Countries or beyond.
One of the earliest known bearers of the VANANTWERPEN name was Jan VANANTWERPEN, a merchant and trader who lived in the late 15th century. He was involved in the lucrative wool trade between Antwerp and England.
In the 16th century, the VANANTWERPEN family played a prominent role in the Reformation movement in the Low Countries. Pieter VANANTWERPEN (1501-1564) was a renowned Protestant reformer and theologian who challenged the Catholic Church's teachings and faced persecution for his beliefs.
During the Dutch Golden Age in the 17th century, the VANANTWERPEN name gained further prominence. Hendrick VANANTWERPEN (1615-1678) was a notable painter and engraver from Antwerp, known for his landscape paintings and etchings depicting biblical scenes.
The VANANTWERPEN surname also has a connection to the Dutch colonial era. Johannes VANANTWERPEN (1673-1728) was a Dutch explorer and navigator who participated in several expeditions to the East Indies and helped map parts of the Indonesian archipelago.
In the realm of literature, the VANANTWERPEN name is associated with Cornelis VANANTWERPEN (1829-1892), a Dutch writer and poet who was part of the Tachtigers literary movement in the Netherlands.
Throughout its history, the VANANTWERPEN surname has undergone various spelling variations, including VANANTWERP, VANANTWERPEN, and VANANTVERPEN, reflecting regional linguistic differences and record-keeping practices of the time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vanantwerpen
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanantwerpen, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Vanantwerpen 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 Vanantwerpen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.0% · 89
- Two or more races11.3% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.8% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vanantwerpen
Vanantwerpen 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
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
+5 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,471 places
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
+1 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,568 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #150,436 | 100 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+5.0%) | Down 4,471 places |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+1.0%) | Up 2,568 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 Vanantwerpen 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 | #154,907 | #152,339 | 1.7% |
| Count | 105 | 106 | 1.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vanantwerpen bearers went from 105 to 106 (+1.0% change). The surname moved up 2,568 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #152,339.
FAQ
Vanantwerpen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vanantwerpen?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Vanantwerpen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Vanantwerpen?
Vanantwerpen ranks #152,339 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 106 people with the surname Vanantwerpen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), 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 Vanantwerpen.
Has Vanantwerpen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vanantwerpen went from 105 recorded bearers to 106. That is an increase of 1 (+1.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Vanantwerpen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanantwerpen, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Vanantwerpen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.0% (89 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vanantwerpen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.0%), Two or More Races (11.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Vanantwerpen (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 Vanantwerpen mean?
A surname indicating ancestry from the Belgian city of Antwerp. 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 Vanantwerpen (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 are called Vanantwerpen?
Want to know how many people have the last name Vanantwerpen? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.