2000
#132,259
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Vanbree
A Dutch toponymic name derived from a place called 'Van Bree'.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Vanbree. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vanbree 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Vanbree in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanbree, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vanbree
The surname VANBREE has its origins in the Netherlands, with the earliest records dating back to the 16th century. The name is believed to be derived from the Dutch words "van" meaning "from" and "bree" which refers to a marshy or swampy area, indicating that the name's bearers likely originated from a region characterized by such terrain.
One of the earliest documented instances of the VANBREE surname can be found in the records of the Dutch Reformed Church in Amsterdam, where a Johannes VANBREE was baptized in 1587. This suggests that the name had already been well-established in the region by that time.
In the 17th century, a notable figure bearing the VANBREE surname was Pieter VANBREE (1620-1678), a prominent merchant and ship owner based in Rotterdam. His successful trading ventures contributed to the city's economic prosperity during the Dutch Golden Age.
The VANBREE name also appears in historical documents related to the Dutch colonization of the Americas. In 1638, a Jacob VANBREE was listed among the early settlers of New Amsterdam, the Dutch colony that would later become New York City.
As the Dutch expanded their influence across the globe, the VANBREE surname traveled with them. In the late 18th century, a Jan VANBREE (1745-1820) was a prominent figure in the Dutch East Indies (present-day Indonesia), serving as a high-ranking official in the Dutch colonial administration.
Another notable bearer of the VANBREE name was Willem VANBREE (1801-1879), a Dutch military officer who played a significant role in the Java War, a conflict between the Dutch East Indies and the Javanese Sultanates in the early 19th century.
Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, variations of the VANBREE surname emerged, such as VAN BREE and VANBREY, reflecting regional linguistic variations and adaptations that occurred as the name spread across different parts of the Netherlands and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vanbree
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanbree, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Vanbree 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 Vanbree surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.6% · 96
- Hispanic or Latino4.7% · 5
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vanbree
Vanbree 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
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-2 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,890 places
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-10 bearers (-8.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,190 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #132,259 | 118 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 10,890 places |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-8.6%) | Down 9,190 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 Vanbree 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 | #143,149 | #152,339 | -6.4% |
| Count | 116 | 106 | -8.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vanbree bearers went from 116 to 106 (-8.6% change). The surname moved down 9,190 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #152,339.
FAQ
Vanbree surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vanbree?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Vanbree. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Vanbree?
Vanbree ranks #152,339 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 106 people with the surname Vanbree. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), 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 Vanbree.
Has Vanbree become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vanbree went from 116 recorded bearers to 106. That is a decrease of 10 (-8.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Vanbree?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanbree, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Vanbree in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.6% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vanbree appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.6%), Hispanic (4.7%), Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Vanbree (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 Vanbree mean?
A Dutch toponymic name derived from a place called 'Van Bree'. 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 Vanbree (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 last name Vanbree?
Find out how common the surname Vanbree is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.