2010
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Vanasselt
A surname referring to a person originating from the town of Asselt in the Netherlands.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 111 Americans carry the last name Vanasselt. That puts it at #156,449 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,087,877 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vanasselt 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
111
1 in 3,087,877
Census rank
#156,449
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
97
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 97 bearers of the surname Vanasselt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156449th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanasselt, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vanasselt
The surname Vanasselt has its origins in the Netherlands, dating back to the early medieval period. It is believed to have originated from a place name, likely a small village or hamlet in the Dutch countryside. The name is a compound of the Dutch words "van" meaning "from" and "asselt" which may have referred to a wooded area or grove.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Vanasselt can be found in a 14th-century census record from the province of Gelderland. Here, the name is spelled "Van Asselt", suggesting that the modern spelling with the combined "Vanasselt" emerged later on.
In the 16th century, a family by the name of Vanasselt is mentioned in a legal document from the city of Utrecht. This document details a property dispute involving a certain Jan Vanasselt, who was likely a prosperous merchant or landowner at the time.
During the Dutch Golden Age of the 17th century, a notable figure bearing the name Vanasselt was Pieter Vanasselt (1618-1692). He was a renowned painter and engraver, known for his landscapes and cityscapes depicting Dutch cities and rural scenes.
Another individual of note was Cornelis Vanasselt (1748-1824), a Dutch military officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars. He rose to the rank of General and played a significant role in several battles against the French forces.
In the 19th century, a prominent Vanasselt was Gerrit Vanasselt (1835-1912), a successful businessman and industrialist from Amsterdam. He founded the Vanasselt & Co. textile manufacturing company, which became one of the largest employers in the region.
As the Dutch people began to migrate and settle in other parts of the world, the name Vanasselt spread to various countries, including the United States, Canada, and South Africa. However, its strongest roots remain in the Netherlands, where it continues to be a well-established surname to this day.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vanasselt
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanasselt, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Vanasselt 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 Vanasselt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.0% · 96
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vanasselt
Vanasselt appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#156,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 97
-7 bearers (-6.7%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 405 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #156,449 | 97 | 0.03 | -7 bearers (-6.7%) | Down 405 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 Vanasselt 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 | #156,044 | #156,449 | -0.3% |
| Count | 104 | 97 | -6.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -18.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vanasselt bearers went from 104 to 97 (-6.7% change). The surname moved down 405 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #156,449.
FAQ
Vanasselt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vanasselt?
Name Census estimates that about 111 living Americans carry the surname Vanasselt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,087,877 residents.
How common is Vanasselt?
Vanasselt ranks #156,449 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 97 people with the surname Vanasselt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (111), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Vanasselt.
Has Vanasselt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vanasselt went from 104 recorded bearers to 97. That is a decrease of 7 (-6.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #156,044 to #156,449.
What does the Census say about the background of Vanasselt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanasselt, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.0%). 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 Vanasselt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.0% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vanasselt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.0%), Hispanic (1.0%). 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 Vanasselt (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 Vanasselt mean?
A surname referring to a person originating from the town of Asselt in the Netherlands. 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 Vanasselt (0.03 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 Vanasselt?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Vanasselt at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.