2000
#80,812
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 218
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.08
Very Rare Last name
Vanark
A surname with Dutch origins, potentially referring to someone who lived near Noah's Ark.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 261 Americans carry the last name Vanark. That puts it at #87,624 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,313,235 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vanark 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
261
1 in 1,313,235
Census rank
#87,624
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
228
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 228 bearers of the surname Vanark in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 87624th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanark, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vanark
The surname VANARK is believed to have originated in the Netherlands during the 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the Dutch words "van" meaning "from" and "ark" meaning "ark" or "chest." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near or worked with arks or chests, perhaps a carpenter or craftsman.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name VANARK can be found in the baptismal records of the Dutch Reformed Church in Amsterdam, where a Johannes VANARK was baptized in 1592. Another early reference is found in the city archives of Leiden, where a merchant named Pieter VANARK is mentioned in a document dated 1618.
Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, the VANARK name appeared in various records across the Netherlands, particularly in the provinces of North Holland and South Holland. Notable individuals with this surname include:
1. Willem VANARK (1624-1691), a renowned Dutch painter known for his landscapes and still-life works.
2. Adriana VANARK (1670-1742), a prominent figure in the Dutch East India Company, who served as the first female governor of the colony of Malacca from 1715 to 1720.
3. Jacobus VANARK (1728-1804), a Dutch philosopher and author who wrote extensively on the ideas of Enlightenment thinkers such as Voltaire and Rousseau.
4. Cornelis VANARK (1782-1856), a Dutch naval officer who played a significant role in the Napoleonic Wars, serving as the captain of the ship De Zeven Provinciën.
5. Johanna VANARK (1820-1892), a Dutch feminist and advocate for women's rights, who campaigned for equal educational opportunities and the right to vote.
As the Dutch colonized various parts of the world, the VANARK surname likely spread to other regions, though its origins can be traced back to the Low Countries. While some variations in spelling may have occurred over time, the name VANARK has retained its distinct Dutch roots and continues to be associated with the rich cultural heritage of the Netherlands.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vanark
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanark, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Vanark 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 Vanark surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.2% · 217
- Two or more races2.6% · 6
- Black or African American0.9% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.4% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vanark
Vanark 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
#83,834
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 224
+6 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Down 3,022 places
2020
#87,624
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 228
+4 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Down 3,790 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #80,812 | 218 | 0.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #83,834 | 224 | 0.08 | +6 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 3,022 places |
| 2020 | #87,624 | 228 | 0.08 | +4 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 3,790 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 Vanark 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 | #83,834 | #87,624 | -4.5% |
| Count | 224 | 228 | 1.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.08 | 0.08 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vanark bearers went from 224 to 228 (+1.8% change). The surname moved down 3,790 positions in the national ranking, going from #83,834 to #87,624.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Vanark
FAQ
Vanark surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vanark?
Name Census estimates that about 261 living Americans carry the surname Vanark. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,313,235 residents.
How common is Vanark?
Vanark ranks #87,624 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.08 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 228 people with the surname Vanark. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (261), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.08 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 Vanark.
Has Vanark become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vanark went from 224 recorded bearers to 228. That is an increase of 4 (+1.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #83,834 to #87,624.
What does the Census say about the background of Vanark?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanark, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Black (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 Vanark in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.2% (217 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vanark appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.2%), Two or More Races (2.6%), Black (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 Vanark (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 Vanark mean?
A surname with Dutch origins, potentially referring to someone who lived near Noah's Ark. 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 Vanark (0.08 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 Vanark?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Vanark at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.