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

VanCleve, 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 VanCleve surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of VanCleve in America

VanCleve is the 17193rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The VanCleve surname appeared 1,647 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname VanCleve.

We can also compare 2010 data for VanCleve 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 VanCleve

The surname VANCLEVE originated in the Netherlands, with its earliest known roots tracing back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Dutch words "van" meaning "from" and "cleve" referring to the town of Cleves (modern spelling: Kleve) located in the Lower Rhine region of present-day Germany, near the Dutch border.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the VANCLEVE surname can be found in the Dutch Reformed Church records of New Netherland (present-day New York and surrounding areas) from the mid-17th century. This suggests that some of the earliest bearers of the name may have been among the Dutch settlers who established the colony of New Netherland in the 1600s.

A notable early figure with the VANCLEVE surname was Benjamin Vancleve (1637-1718), a Dutch immigrant to New Netherland who became a prominent landowner and magistrate in the colony. His son, Benjamin Vancleve Jr. (1673-1759), was also a influential figure in the early colonial period, serving as a judge and member of the New York Provincial Assembly.

In the 18th century, the VANCLEVE surname began to appear in various records across the American colonies, indicating the widespread migration and settlement of families bearing this name. One example is John Vancleve (1738-1820), a Revolutionary War soldier from Pennsylvania who later served as a member of the Pennsylvania State Legislature.

Another notable individual was Aaron Vancleve (1799-1859), a businessman and politician from Ohio who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives in the 1830s and 1840s. He was also involved in the early development of the railroad industry in the United States.

During the 19th century, the VANCLEVE surname continued to spread across the United States and beyond, with bearers of the name contributing to various fields such as politics, business, and academia. One example is Edward Vancleve (1854-1935), a prominent educator and college administrator who served as the president of Ohio University from 1901 to 1917.

While the VANCLEVE surname has its origins in the Netherlands and the town of Cleves, it has since become a widely dispersed name found across various regions and countries, a testament to the migration and diaspora of families bearing this historic surname over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name VanCleve

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

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

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

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