Find out how popular the last name Vanauken is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Vanauken.

Vanauken, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Vanauken surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Vanauken in America

Vanauken is the 16781st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Vanauken surname appeared 1,702 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Vanauken.

We can also compare 2010 data for Vanauken to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Vanauken

The surname VANAUKEN has its origins in the Netherlands, specifically in the regions of Friesland and Groningen. It emerged in the late 16th or early 17th century, derived from the Dutch words "van" meaning "from" and "auk" or "aucke," which were old Frisian personal names or variants of the name Aucke.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Frisian town of Hindeloopen, where a man named Douwe Jansz van Aucken was mentioned in a church record from 1648. Over time, the name evolved into various spellings, including Van Aucken, Van Aucke, and eventually VANAUKEN.

In the late 17th century, a notable figure named Jan VANAUKEN was a Dutch merchant and ship owner who traded extensively with the Dutch East Indies. He was born in 1662 in Leeuwarden, Friesland, and his business ventures contributed to the economic prosperity of the region.

During the 18th century, the VANAUKEN family spread across the Netherlands and into neighboring regions. In 1756, a man named Pieter VANAUKEN was recorded as residing in the town of Dordrecht, where he worked as a skilled carpenter and woodworker.

As the VANAUKEN name spread across Europe, it also made its way to the Americas. One of the earliest known instances of the name in the United States was Benjamin VANAUKEN, who was born in 1775 in Pennsylvania and served as a soldier in the American Revolutionary War.

Another prominent figure with the VANAUKEN surname was Sheldon VANAUKEN, an American author and professor of English literature. He was born in 1914 in New Haven, Connecticut, and is best known for his memoir "A Severe Mercy," which recounts his life and the tragic loss of his wife.

Throughout history, the VANAUKEN name has been associated with various professions and achievements, from merchants and traders to soldiers, authors, and academics. While its origins can be traced back to the Netherlands and the Frisian region, the name has since spread across the globe, carrying with it a rich heritage and a diverse range of stories.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Vanauken

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Vanauken.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Vanauken was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Vanauken has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Vanauken was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Vanauken, please contact us.

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