2000
#29,696
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 748
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.28
Very Rare Last name
Vandamme
An occupational surname likely derived from the Dutch damme meaning "dam builder".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 982 Americans carry the last name Vandamme. That puts it at #29,416 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.29 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 349,037 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vandamme 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
982
1 in 349,037
Census rank
#29,416
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
856
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 856 bearers of the surname Vandamme in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.29 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 29416th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vandamme, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vandamme
Among Census respondents with the surname Vandamme, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Vandamme 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 Vandamme surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.8% · 769
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 35
- Two or more races3.6% · 31
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 5
- Black or African American0.5% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vandamme
Vandamme 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
#28,679
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 831
+83 bearers (+11.1%)
Per 100,000 0.28
Rank movement Up 1,017 places
2020
#29,416
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 856
+25 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.29
Rank movement Down 737 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #29,696 | 748 | 0.28 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #28,679 | 831 | 0.28 | +83 bearers (+11.1%) | Up 1,017 places |
| 2020 | #29,416 | 856 | 0.29 | +25 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 737 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 Vandamme 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 | #28,679 | #29,416 | -2.6% |
| Count | 831 | 856 | 3.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.28 | 0.29 | 2.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vandamme bearers went from 831 to 856 (+3.0% change). The surname moved down 737 positions in the national ranking, going from #28,679 to #29,416.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Vandamme
FAQ
Vandamme surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vandamme?
Name Census estimates that about 982 living Americans carry the surname Vandamme. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 349,037 residents.
How common is Vandamme?
Vandamme ranks #29,416 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.29 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 856 people with the surname Vandamme. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (982), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.29 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.29 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Vandamme.
Has Vandamme become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vandamme went from 831 recorded bearers to 856. That is an increase of 25 (+3.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #28,679 to #29,416.
What does the Census say about the background of Vandamme?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vandamme, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Vandamme in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.8% (769 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vandamme appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.8%), Hispanic (4.1%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Vandamme (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 Vandamme mean?
An occupational surname likely derived from the Dutch damme meaning "dam builder". 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 Vandamme (0.29 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 common is the surname Vandamme?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Vandamme on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.