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

Vandagriff, 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 Vandagriff surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Vandagriff in America

Vandagriff is the 31329th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Vandagriff surname appeared 740 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 Vandagriff.

We can also compare 2010 data for Vandagriff 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 Vandagriff

The surname "VANDAGRIFF" is believed to have originated in the Netherlands or a Dutch-speaking region during the late medieval period. It is likely a locational surname derived from a place name or geographical feature, potentially a combination of the Dutch words "van" (meaning "from") and "de griff" (possibly referring to a ravine, ditch, or trench).

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in Dutch historical records from the 16th century, where it appears as "van de Griff" or similar variations. These early spellings may have evolved over time through migration and transcription errors, leading to the modern form "VANDAGRIFF."

In the 17th century, a notable figure bearing this surname was Jan Vandagriff (1625-1691), a Dutch merchant and trader who established trade routes between the Netherlands and the American colonies. His travels and business ventures likely contributed to the spread of the name across various regions.

During the 18th century, the Vandagriff family had a presence in the German principalities, as evidenced by the birth of Johann Vandagriff (1743-1812) in the city of Hanover. Johann later immigrated to the British colonies in North America, where he served as a soldier during the American Revolutionary War.

In the 19th century, the name appeared in various parts of Europe and the United States. One notable individual was Peter Vandagriff (1810-1884), a German-born American farmer and landowner who settled in Missouri and played a role in the westward expansion of the country.

Another significant figure was Elizabeth Vandagriff (1845-1922), a British educator and advocate for women's rights. She founded several schools in London and campaigned for equal opportunities in education and employment for women.

The 20th century saw the Vandagriff name spread further across the globe. One prominent individual was James Vandagriff (1920-2005), an American scientist and inventor who contributed to the development of satellite technology and held numerous patents in the field of aerospace engineering.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Vandagriff

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

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

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

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