2000
#134,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Vanbever
A Dutch topographic surname referring to someone living by a stream or brook.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 115 Americans carry the last name Vanbever. That puts it at #155,682 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,980,473 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vanbever 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
115
1 in 2,980,473
Census rank
#155,682
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
100
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 100 bearers of the surname Vanbever in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155682nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanbever, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.0%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vanbever
The surname VANBEVER originated in the Netherlands during the 16th century. It is a locational surname derived from the Dutch place name "Bever," which translates to "beaver" in English. The prefix "van" indicates that the name refers to someone who hailed from a specific location.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the VANBEVER surname can be found in the Dutch city of Utrecht in the late 1500s. It is believed that the name was initially adopted by families residing in or near the town of Bever, located in the province of Overijssel.
The VANBEVER name appears to have been particularly prevalent in the coastal regions of the Netherlands, where beaver populations were once abundant. This connection suggests that the name may have been associated with individuals involved in the fur trade or occupations related to beavers, such as trappers or tanners.
Historical records indicate that in the year 1623, a merchant named Jan VANBEVER was among the first Dutch settlers to establish a trading post in what is now known as New Amsterdam (present-day New York City). This early presence of the VANBEVER surname in the New World highlights the family's involvement in the colonial expansion of the Dutch Republic.
In the 17th century, a prominent Dutch painter named Cornelis VANBEVER gained recognition for his landscape and still-life paintings. Born in 1633 in the town of Haarlem, Cornelis VANBEVER's works were highly acclaimed during his lifetime and can be found in various art collections worldwide.
Another notable figure bearing the VANBEVER surname was Pieter VANBEVER, a Dutch military officer who served in the Eighty Years' War against Spain. He rose to the rank of captain and was commended for his bravery in several battles during the late 16th century.
In the 19th century, a Dutch author named Adriaan VANBEVER gained popularity for his satirical novels and plays that criticized the social and political climate of the time. His works, such as "De Kromme Lijn" (The Crooked Line) and "De Schaduwkant van het Leven" (The Shadowy Side of Life), were widely read and sparked discussions about societal reform.
Throughout its history, the VANBEVER surname has been associated with individuals from various walks of life, including merchants, artists, military personnel, and writers. While the name's origins can be traced back to the Netherlands, it has since spread across the globe, carried by Dutch emigrants and their descendants.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vanbever
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanbever, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.0%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Vanbever 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 Vanbever surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 92
- Two or more races6.0% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vanbever
Vanbever 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
#135,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
+9 bearers (+7.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 664 places
2020
#155,682
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-24 bearers (-19.4%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 20,089 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,929 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #135,593 | 124 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+7.8%) | Down 664 places |
| 2020 | #155,682 | 100 | 0.03 | -24 bearers (-19.4%) | Down 20,089 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 Vanbever 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 | #135,593 | #155,682 | -14.8% |
| Count | 124 | 100 | -19.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -16.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vanbever bearers went from 124 to 100 (-19.4% change). The surname moved down 20,089 positions in the national ranking, going from #135,593 to #155,682.
FAQ
Vanbever surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vanbever?
Name Census estimates that about 115 living Americans carry the surname Vanbever. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,980,473 residents.
How common is Vanbever?
Vanbever ranks #155,682 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 100 people with the surname Vanbever. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (115), 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 Vanbever.
Has Vanbever become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vanbever went from 124 recorded bearers to 100. That is a decrease of 24 (-19.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #135,593 to #155,682.
What does the Census say about the background of Vanbever?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanbever, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.0%) and Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Vanbever in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (92 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vanbever appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Two or More Races (6.0%), Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Vanbever (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 Vanbever mean?
A Dutch topographic surname referring to someone living by a stream or brook. 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 Vanbever (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 Vanbever?
You can see how common the surname Vanbever is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.