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

VanBruggen, 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 VanBruggen surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of VanBruggen in America

VanBruggen is the 54864th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The VanBruggen surname appeared 375 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname VanBruggen.

We can also compare 2010 data for VanBruggen 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 VanBruggen

The surname VANBRUGGEN originated in the Netherlands during the medieval period. It is derived from the Dutch words "van" meaning "from" and "bruggen" meaning "bridges." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived near or worked on bridges.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in a 14th-century document from the city of Leiden, referring to a certain Dirck Vanbruggen. The name also appears in various records from the Dutch provinces of Holland and Utrecht during the 15th and 16th centuries.

In the late 16th century, the spelling "Vanbruggen" began to emerge as a more standardized version of the name, which had previously been written in various ways, such as "Van Bruggen," "Van Brugghen," or "Van der Bruggen."

A notable figure bearing this surname was the Dutch playwright and architect Sir John Vanbrugh (1664-1726), best known for designing the Blenheim Palace and Castle Howard. He was born in London to a family of Flemish descent.

Another prominent individual with this name was the Dutch naval officer and explorer Samuel Vanbruggen (1668-1721), who sailed to the East Indies and served as governor of the Dutch East Indies from 1714 to 1718.

In the 18th century, the Vanbruggen family produced several scholars and clergymen, including the Dutch theologian Petrus Vanbruggen (1725-1787) and the German philosopher and mathematician Johann Vanbruggen (1736-1801).

The name Vanbruggen also appears in historical records from other European countries, such as Germany and Belgium, likely due to migration and intermarriage. For instance, the German writer and translator Karl Vanbruggen (1800-1858) was born in Düsseldorf to a family with Dutch roots.

Throughout its history, the surname VANBRUGGEN has been associated with various professions and social classes, from artisans and tradesmen to military officers and intellectuals, reflecting the diverse backgrounds of those who bore this name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name VanBruggen

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

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 VanBruggen 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 VanBruggen 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 VanBruggen was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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