2000
#8,058
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,793
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.41
Rare Last name
Vancleave
A Dutch toponymic surname referring to someone living near a wooded area or newly cleared land.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,155 Americans carry the last name Vancleave. That puts it at #8,695 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 82,492 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vancleave 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
4.2K
1 in 82,492
Census rank
#8,695
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,623 bearers of the surname Vancleave in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8695th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vancleave, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vancleave
The surname Vancleave originated in the Netherlands during the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Dutch words "van" meaning "from" and "cleve" referring to the town of Cleve, located near the Dutch-German border. The name likely designated someone who hailed from this town or surrounding area.
In its earliest recorded instances, the name was spelled "van Cleve" or "van Cleef." As Dutch settlers migrated to other regions, variations in spelling arose, including Vancleave, Vancleve, and Vankleve. The first known records of the surname date back to the mid-1500s in Dutch municipal archives.
One of the earliest documented individuals with this surname was Jan van Cleef, a merchant from Amsterdam who was born in 1567. Another notable figure was Hendrick van Cleve, a Dutch Golden Age painter born in 1516, known for his religious works and portraits.
The name appeared in various historical records across Europe, such as church registries and tax rolls, as Dutch communities spread throughout the continent. In the 17th century, the Vancleave surname surfaced in British colonial records as Dutch settlers began arriving in North America.
One of the first recorded instances of the name in the American colonies was that of Willem Vancleave, a Dutch settler who arrived in New Amsterdam (present-day New York) in 1638. His descendants later migrated to other regions, contributing to the spread of the surname across the United States.
Another notable figure was Brigadier General Aaron Furman Vancleave (1846-1917), a Union Army officer who served in the American Civil War and later became a congressman representing Mississippi's 6th district.
Other historical figures bearing the Vancleave surname include:
1. Reverend Peter J. Vancleave (1802-1885), a prominent Baptist minister and educator in Mississippi.
2. John Vancleave (1776-1851), an early settler and landowner in Kentucky.
3. William Vancleave (1788-1865), a Methodist circuit rider and pioneer preacher in Illinois.
4. Nathaniel Vancleave (1744-1824), a Continental Army soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War.
While the Vancleave surname originated in the Netherlands, it has since spread across various regions and countries, with many individuals contributing to its rich history over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vancleave
Among Census respondents with the surname Vancleave, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Vancleave 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 Vancleave surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.9% · 3,150
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 161
- Two or more races3.9% · 142
- Black or African American3.3% · 121
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 33
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vancleave
Vancleave 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
#8,562
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,847
+54 bearers (+1.4%)
Per 100,000 1.30
Rank movement Down 504 places
2020
#8,695
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,623
-224 bearers (-5.8%)
Per 100,000 1.21
Rank movement Down 133 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,058 | 3,793 | 1.41 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,562 | 3,847 | 1.30 | +54 bearers (+1.4%) | Down 504 places |
| 2020 | #8,695 | 3,623 | 1.21 | -224 bearers (-5.8%) | Down 133 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 Vancleave 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 | #8,562 | #8,695 | -1.6% |
| Count | 3,847 | 3,623 | -5.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.30 | 1.21 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vancleave bearers went from 3,847 to 3,623 (-5.8% change). The surname moved down 133 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,562 to #8,695.
FAQ
Vancleave surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vancleave?
Name Census estimates that about 4,155 living Americans carry the surname Vancleave. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 82,492 residents.
How common is Vancleave?
Vancleave ranks #8,695 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.21 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,623 people with the surname Vancleave. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,155), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.21 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Vancleave.
Has Vancleave become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vancleave went from 3,847 recorded bearers to 3,623. That is a decrease of 224 (-5.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,562 to #8,695.
What does the Census say about the background of Vancleave?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vancleave, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Vancleave in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.9% (3,150 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vancleave appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.9%), Hispanic (4.4%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Vancleave (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 Vancleave mean?
A Dutch toponymic surname referring to someone living near a wooded area or newly cleared land. 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 Vancleave (1.21 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 Vancleave?
You can see how many people have the last name Vancleave on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.