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

Vandamme, 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 Vandamme surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Vandamme in America

Vandamme is the 28679th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Vandamme surname appeared 831 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 Vandamme.

We can also compare 2010 data for Vandamme 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 Vandamme

The surname Vandamme originated in Belgium in the 16th century. It is derived from the Flemish words "van de amme", meaning "from the wet nurse" or "from the nurse". This suggests that the name may have been an occupational surname given to someone who worked as a wet nurse or nurse.

The earliest known record of the name Vandamme dates back to 1564 in Antwerp, Belgium, where a man named Pieter Vandamme was mentioned in a local church registry. Another early record is from 1587 in Ghent, where a Jan Vandamme was recorded in a municipal document.

In the 17th century, the name Vandamme began appearing in various Dutch and Flemish records, such as census records, marriage registers, and baptismal records. Some notable examples include Joannes Vandamme, born in 1612 in Amsterdam, and Maria Vandamme, born in 1658 in Bruges.

One of the most famous historical figures with the surname Vandamme was Dominique-René Vandamme (1770-1830), a French military commander who served under Napoleon Bonaparte. He was born in Cassel, northern France, and gained fame for his leadership during the Napoleonic Wars, particularly at the Battle of Wagram in 1809.

Another notable figure was Auguste Vandamme (1838-1921), a Belgian engineer and politician who served as the mayor of Brussels from 1879 to 1890. He was instrumental in the development of the city's infrastructure and urban planning.

In the 19th century, the name Vandamme began to spread beyond Belgium and the Netherlands, with individuals bearing the surname recorded in various parts of Europe and even in North America. For example, Charles Vandamme (1816-1892) was a French-Canadian businessman and politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec.

Other notable individuals with the surname Vandamme include Édouard Vandamme (1848-1925), a Belgian painter and sculptor; and Frédéric Vandamme (1915-1999), a French resistance fighter during World War II and later a politician.

While the surname Vandamme has its roots in Belgium and the Netherlands, it has since become more widely dispersed across different regions and countries, reflecting the mobility and migration patterns of people throughout history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Vandamme

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

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

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

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