2010
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Vanbaale
A Dutch surname derived from the Middle Dutch "vant bale" meaning "from the small town".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Vanbaale. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vanbaale 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Vanbaale in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanbaale, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Black (2.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vanbaale
The surname VANBAALE originated in the Netherlands during the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Dutch words "van" meaning "from" and "baal" which referred to a bundle or bale of goods, likely indicating the occupation of an ancestor who dealt with bales or bundles.
The earliest recorded spelling of the name was found in the records of the city of Amsterdam in 1582, where a merchant named Pieter VanBaale was listed as a trader of textile bales. It is possible that the surname may have evolved from earlier spelling variations such as VanBaele or VanBaalen.
In the 17th century, the VANBAALE name appeared in the records of the Dutch East India Company, with a Jan VanBaale serving as a ship's captain on voyages to the East Indies in the 1640s.
One notable bearer of the surname was Willem VanBaale (1629-1698), a renowned Dutch painter and engraver whose works were highly sought after by the aristocracy of his time.
Another prominent figure was Dirk VanBaale (1772-1845), a Dutch politician and statesman who served as the mayor of Rotterdam from 1815 to 1835, during a period of significant economic growth and urban development in the city.
In the 19th century, the VANBAALE name spread beyond the Netherlands as some members of the family emigrated to other parts of Europe and North America. One such individual was Hendrik VanBaale (1820-1892), who settled in South Africa and became a successful farmer and landowner in the Cape Colony.
Another notable bearer of the surname was Marie VanBaale (1865-1944), a Belgian author and feminist activist who campaigned for women's rights and advocated for educational reforms.
As the VANBAALE name continued to spread globally, it was also adopted by some families in other parts of the world, though its origins can be traced back to the Netherlands and the original Dutch spelling.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vanbaale
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanbaale, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Black (2.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Vanbaale 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 Vanbaale surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.6% · 106
- Black or African American2.7% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.7% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vanbaale
Vanbaale 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
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,753 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 1,753 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 Vanbaale 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 | #146,201 | #147,954 | -1.2% |
| Count | 113 | 112 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vanbaale bearers went from 113 to 112 (-0.9% change). The surname moved down 1,753 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #147,954.
FAQ
Vanbaale surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vanbaale?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Vanbaale. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Vanbaale?
Vanbaale ranks #147,954 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 112 people with the surname Vanbaale. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), 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 Vanbaale.
Has Vanbaale become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vanbaale went from 113 recorded bearers to 112. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Vanbaale?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanbaale, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Black (2.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.7%). 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 Vanbaale in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.6% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vanbaale appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.6%), Black (2.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.7%). 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 Vanbaale (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 Vanbaale mean?
A Dutch surname derived from the Middle Dutch "vant bale" meaning "from the small town". 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 Vanbaale (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 have the surname Vanbaale?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.