2000
#6,321
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,962
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.84
Rare Last name
Vanbuskirk
Derived from a Dutch place name meaning "from the church in the woods."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,426 Americans carry the last name Vanbuskirk. That puts it at #6,840 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.58 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 63,169 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vanbuskirk 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
5.4K
1 in 63,169
Census rank
#6,840
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,732 bearers of the surname Vanbuskirk in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.58 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6840th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanbuskirk, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vanbuskirk
The surname VANBUSKIRK is of Dutch origin, originating in the Netherlands during the late 16th century. It is a combination of the Dutch words "van" meaning "from" and "Buskirk" which was a regional name for a rural village or area. The earliest known spelling of the name was "van Buschkerk" referring to someone who came from a wooded church area or community.
The name first appeared in historical records in the 1590s when several families with the VANBUSKIRK surname were listed in local census data in the Dutch provinces of North Holland and South Holland. One of the earliest recorded individuals was Adrien van Buschkerk, born in 1602 in Leiden, who was a merchant and trader.
In the 17th century, some VANBUSKIRK families immigrated to the Dutch colonies in North America, particularly New Netherland (later New York). One notable early settler was Jacob Vanbuskirk, born in 1635 in Amsterdam, who arrived in New Netherland in 1660 and became a farmer and landowner in what is now Brooklyn.
As the name spread across Europe and North America, various spelling variations emerged, including VanBuskirk, Van Buskirk, VanBuskirke, and Van Buskerke. One of the most famous individuals with this surname was Herman VanBuskirk (1692-1776), an American colonial militia officer who fought in the French and Indian War.
Another notable person was Laurens VanBuskirk (1760-1832), a Dutch-American soldier who served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He later became a successful merchant and businessman in New York City.
In the 19th century, some VANBUSKIRK families settled in Canada, with one prominent individual being William VanBuskirk (1818-1892), a farmer and political figure who served as a member of the Canadian Parliament for several years.
Overall, the surname VANBUSKIRK has a rich history dating back to the Netherlands in the late 1500s, with many early bearers of the name playing important roles in the colonization and development of North America.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vanbuskirk
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanbuskirk, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Vanbuskirk 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 Vanbuskirk surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.5% · 4,284
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 187
- Two or more races3.6% · 168
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 45
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 29
- Black or African American0.4% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vanbuskirk
Vanbuskirk 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
#6,663
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,073
+111 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 1.72
Rank movement Down 342 places
2020
#6,840
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,732
-341 bearers (-6.7%)
Per 100,000 1.58
Rank movement Down 177 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,321 | 4,962 | 1.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,663 | 5,073 | 1.72 | +111 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 342 places |
| 2020 | #6,840 | 4,732 | 1.58 | -341 bearers (-6.7%) | Down 177 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 Vanbuskirk 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 | #6,663 | #6,840 | -2.7% |
| Count | 5,073 | 4,732 | -6.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.72 | 1.58 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vanbuskirk bearers went from 5,073 to 4,732 (-6.7% change). The surname moved down 177 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,663 to #6,840.
FAQ
Vanbuskirk surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vanbuskirk?
Name Census estimates that about 5,426 living Americans carry the surname Vanbuskirk. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 63,169 residents.
How common is Vanbuskirk?
Vanbuskirk ranks #6,840 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.58 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 4,732 people with the surname Vanbuskirk. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,426), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.58 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.58 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 Vanbuskirk.
Has Vanbuskirk become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vanbuskirk went from 5,073 recorded bearers to 4,732. That is a decrease of 341 (-6.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,663 to #6,840.
What does the Census say about the background of Vanbuskirk?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanbuskirk, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Vanbuskirk in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.5% (4,284 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vanbuskirk appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.5%), Hispanic (4.0%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Vanbuskirk (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 Vanbuskirk mean?
Derived from a Dutch place name meaning "from the church in the woods." 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 Vanbuskirk (1.58 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 Vanbuskirk?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.