2000
#11,795
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,432
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.90
Rare Last name
Vanatta
An Italian occupational surname referring to a seller of wine or a wine merchant.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,617 Americans carry the last name Vanatta. That puts it at #12,888 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 130,972 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vanatta 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
2.6K
1 in 130,972
Census rank
#12,888
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,282 bearers of the surname Vanatta in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12888th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanatta, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vanatta
The surname VANATTA is of Dutch origin and dates back to the 17th century. It is believed to have originated in the Netherlands, specifically in the provinces of Friesland and Groningen. The name is derived from the old Frisian word "fen," meaning marsh or bog, and the Dutch word "atta," meaning settlement or homestead.
The earliest recorded use of the name VANATTA can be traced back to the Dutch East Indies in the 1600s, where it was found in colonial records and documents. One of the earliest known individuals with this surname was Jan VANATTA, a Dutch East India Company employee who was stationed in Batavia (present-day Jakarta) in the mid-17th century.
In the late 17th century, the name appeared in the records of the Dutch Reformed Church in New Amsterdam (now New York City), indicating that some VANATTA families had emigrated from the Netherlands to the Dutch colonies in North America. One notable individual from this period was Pieter VANATTA, who was born in New Amsterdam in 1675 and later became a prominent merchant and landowner in the area.
Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, the VANATTA surname continued to spread across various parts of the United States, particularly in the northeastern states and the Midwest. Several VANATTA families were among the early settlers in Pennsylvania, where the name can be found in historical records and documents from that time.
One notable individual from this period was John VANATTA (1755-1832), a farmer and landowner in Pennsylvania who served as a Captain in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Another prominent figure was William VANATTA (1810-1889), a lawyer and politician from Ohio who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives.
In the 20th century, the VANATTA surname continued to be represented in various fields and professions. One notable individual was Robert VANATTA (1913-1997), an American businessman and philanthropist who co-founded the successful Van's Food Products company. Another was James VANATTA (1928-2012), a renowned artist and sculptor from California whose works are displayed in numerous galleries and museums.
The name VANATTA has also been found in other parts of the world, likely due to migration and intermarriage over the centuries. However, its roots can be traced back to the Netherlands and the Frisian and Dutch words that gave rise to this distinctive surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vanatta
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanatta, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Vanatta 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 Vanatta surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 2,093
- Two or more races3.1% · 71
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 66
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 20
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 18
- Black or African American0.6% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vanatta
Vanatta 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
#12,089
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,578
+146 bearers (+6.0%)
Per 100,000 0.87
Rank movement Down 294 places
2020
#12,888
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,282
-296 bearers (-11.5%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Down 799 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,795 | 2,432 | 0.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,089 | 2,578 | 0.87 | +146 bearers (+6.0%) | Down 294 places |
| 2020 | #12,888 | 2,282 | 0.76 | -296 bearers (-11.5%) | Down 799 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 Vanatta 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 | #12,089 | #12,888 | -6.6% |
| Count | 2,578 | 2,282 | -11.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.87 | 0.76 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vanatta bearers went from 2,578 to 2,282 (-11.5% change). The surname moved down 799 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,089 to #12,888.
FAQ
Vanatta surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vanatta?
Name Census estimates that about 2,617 living Americans carry the surname Vanatta. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 130,972 residents.
How common is Vanatta?
Vanatta ranks #12,888 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.76 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,282 people with the surname Vanatta. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,617), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.76 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Vanatta.
Has Vanatta become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vanatta went from 2,578 recorded bearers to 2,282. That is a decrease of 296 (-11.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,089 to #12,888.
What does the Census say about the background of Vanatta?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanatta, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Vanatta in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (2,093 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vanatta appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Two or More Races (3.1%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Vanatta (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 Vanatta mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to a seller of wine or a wine merchant. 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 Vanatta (0.76 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 common is the surname Vanatta?
Want to know how many people have the surname Vanatta? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.