2000
#5,521
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,789
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.15
Rare Last name
Vanburen
A Dutch toponymic surname meaning "from Buren," referring to a town in the Netherlands.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,790 Americans carry the last name Vanburen. That puts it at #5,646 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.98 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 50,479 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vanburen 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
6.8K
1 in 50,479
Census rank
#5,646
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,921 bearers of the surname Vanburen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.98 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5646th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanburen, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.7%. The next largest groups are Black (19.0%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vanburen
The surname VANBUREN originated in the Netherlands during the Middle Ages. It is a locational surname derived from the Dutch words "van" meaning "from" and "Buren," a town located in the province of Gelderland. The name literally translates to "from Buren," indicating that the earliest bearers of this surname hailed from the town of Buren or its surrounding areas.
In the 13th century, the town of Buren was a significant settlement with a thriving economy and a strategic location along the River Waal. During this period, it was common for people to adopt surnames based on their place of origin, either as a way to distinguish themselves or as a means of identification when moving to other regions.
The earliest known record of the VANBUREN surname can be traced back to the late 15th century in Dutch historical documents and municipal records. One notable mention is found in the Leiden Archives, where a certain Jacob Vanburen is listed as a resident of the city in 1492.
Throughout the centuries, the VANBUREN surname has undergone various spelling variations, including Van Buren, Van Bueren, and Van Buuren. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and the preferences of individual scribes or record keepers.
Among the notable individuals who bore the VANBUREN surname, one of the most prominent was Martin Van Buren (1782-1862), the eighth President of the United States. Born in Kinderhook, New York, to a family of Dutch descent, he was the first president born a citizen of the United States and played a significant role in the formation of the Democratic Party.
Another notable VANBUREN was William Holme Van Buren (1819-1915), an American physician and surgeon who served as a surgeon during the American Civil War. He later became the President of the American Medical Association from 1882 to 1883.
In the Netherlands, the VANBUREN surname was also associated with notable figures, such as Adriaan van Buren (1628-1679), a Dutch Golden Age painter known for his landscape and architectural paintings.
Other historical figures with the VANBUREN surname include John Van Buren (1810-1866), an American lawyer and politician who served as the Assistant United States Secretary of State, and Abraham Van Buren (1807-1873), an American lawyer and politician who served as a member of the New York State Assembly.
While the VANBUREN surname has its roots in the Netherlands, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly through Dutch emigration and settlement in other countries. Today, it remains a surname carried by individuals of Dutch descent, as well as those who have adopted it through marriage or other circumstances.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vanburen
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanburen, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.7%. The next largest groups are Black (19.0%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Vanburen 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 Vanburen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.7% · 4,365
- Black or African American19.0% · 1,127
- Two or more races3.7% · 218
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 168
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 30
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vanburen
Vanburen 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
#5,874
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,874
+85 bearers (+1.5%)
Per 100,000 1.99
Rank movement Down 353 places
2020
#5,646
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,921
+47 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 1.98
Rank movement Up 228 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,521 | 5,789 | 2.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,874 | 5,874 | 1.99 | +85 bearers (+1.5%) | Down 353 places |
| 2020 | #5,646 | 5,921 | 1.98 | +47 bearers (+0.8%) | Up 228 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 Vanburen 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 | #5,874 | #5,646 | 3.9% |
| Count | 5,874 | 5,921 | 0.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.99 | 1.98 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vanburen bearers went from 5,874 to 5,921 (+0.8% change). The surname moved up 228 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,874 to #5,646.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Vanburen
FAQ
Vanburen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vanburen?
Name Census estimates that about 6,790 living Americans carry the surname Vanburen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 50,479 residents.
How common is Vanburen?
Vanburen ranks #5,646 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.98 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,921 people with the surname Vanburen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,790), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.98 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.98 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Vanburen.
Has Vanburen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vanburen went from 5,874 recorded bearers to 5,921. That is an increase of 47 (+0.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,874 to #5,646.
What does the Census say about the background of Vanburen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanburen, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.7%. The next largest groups are Black (19.0%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Vanburen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.7% (4,365 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vanburen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.7%), Black (19.0%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Vanburen (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 Vanburen mean?
A Dutch toponymic surname meaning "from Buren," referring to a town in the Netherlands. 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 Vanburen (1.98 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 common is the surname Vanburen?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Vanburen on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.