2000
#13,696
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,031
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.75
Rare Last name
Vandam
Derived from the Dutch surname "Van Dam," referring to someone living near a dam or dike.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,595 Americans carry the last name Vandam. That puts it at #12,976 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 132,083 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vandam 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
2.6K
1 in 132,083
Census rank
#12,976
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,263 bearers of the surname Vandam in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12976th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vandam, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vandam
The surname VANDAM originates from the Netherlands and has its roots in the Dutch language. The name can be traced back to the 15th century, and it is believed to be derived from the combination of the Dutch words "van" meaning "from" and "dam" meaning "dam" or "dike."
This surname likely originated in the low-lying regions of the Netherlands, where dams and dikes were crucial for water management and land reclamation. It is possible that the name was initially given to individuals who lived near or worked on these water control structures.
In the 16th century, the VANDAM surname can be found in various historical records and documents from the Netherlands. One notable mention is in the Amsterdamse Archief, which contains records of the city of Amsterdam, where several individuals with the VANDAM surname are listed.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname VANDAM dates back to 1492, when a man named Dirck VANDAM was mentioned in a legal document from the city of Leiden. Another early reference is from 1517, when a man named Jan VANDAM was recorded in the archives of the city of Delft.
Over the centuries, the VANDAM surname has been associated with several notable individuals. One such person was Rip VANDAM, a Dutch painter who lived from 1663 to 1719 and was known for his landscapes and genre scenes.
Another prominent figure was Jacob VANDAM, a Dutch statesman and diplomat who served as the ambassador to England from 1672 to 1677. He played a crucial role in negotiating the Treaty of Westminster, which ended the Third Anglo-Dutch War.
In the 18th century, a man named Hendrick VANDAM was a successful merchant and landowner in the Dutch East Indies (present-day Indonesia). He made significant contributions to the development of the colony and left a lasting legacy in the region.
Pieter VANDAM, born in 1745, was a Dutch naval officer who participated in several battles during the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War. He achieved the rank of Vice Admiral and is remembered for his bravery and leadership.
During the 19th century, Everardus VANDAM was a notable Dutch theologian and author. Born in 1806, he wrote extensively on religious topics and served as a minister in several churches throughout the Netherlands.
While the VANDAM surname has its origins in the Netherlands, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and immigration. However, its historical significance and connection to the Dutch culture and landscape remain prominent.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vandam
Among Census respondents with the surname Vandam, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Vandam 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 Vandam surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 2,052
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 92
- Two or more races3.4% · 77
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 20
- Black or African American0.5% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vandam
Vandam 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
#13,376
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,277
+246 bearers (+12.1%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Up 320 places
2020
#12,976
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,263
-14 bearers (-0.6%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Up 400 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,696 | 2,031 | 0.75 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,376 | 2,277 | 0.77 | +246 bearers (+12.1%) | Up 320 places |
| 2020 | #12,976 | 2,263 | 0.76 | -14 bearers (-0.6%) | Up 400 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 Vandam 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 | #13,376 | #12,976 | 3.0% |
| Count | 2,277 | 2,263 | -0.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.77 | 0.76 | -1.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vandam bearers went from 2,277 to 2,263 (-0.6% change). The surname moved up 400 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,376 to #12,976.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Vandam
FAQ
Vandam surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vandam?
Name Census estimates that about 2,595 living Americans carry the surname Vandam. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 132,083 residents.
How common is Vandam?
Vandam ranks #12,976 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.76 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 2,263 people with the surname Vandam. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,595), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.76 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 Vandam.
Has Vandam become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vandam went from 2,277 recorded bearers to 2,263. That is a decrease of 14 (-0.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,376 to #12,976.
What does the Census say about the background of Vandam?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vandam, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Vandam in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (2,052 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vandam appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Hispanic (4.1%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Vandam (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 Vandam mean?
Derived from the Dutch surname "Van Dam," referring to someone living near a dam or dike. 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 Vandam (0.76 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 last name Vandam?
Want to know how many people are called Vandam? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.