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

Vandegrift, 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 Vandegrift surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Vandegrift in America

Vandegrift is the 13470th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Vandegrift surname appeared 2,260 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 Vandegrift.

We can also compare 2010 data for Vandegrift 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 Vandegrift

The surname Vandegrift originated in the Netherlands during the Middle Ages. It is a locational surname, derived from the Dutch place name "Van de Grift," which translates to "from the ditch" or "from the trench." This place name likely referred to a specific location where the family resided near a ditch or trench.

The earliest recorded instance of the surname Vandegrift can be traced back to the 16th century in Dutch records. One of the earliest known bearers of this name was Pieter Vandegrift, born in 1587 in Rotterdam, Netherlands. He was a merchant and trader who played a significant role in the establishment of Dutch trading posts in the East Indies.

In the 17th century, some members of the Vandegrift family migrated to the Dutch colonies in North America, including New Netherland (present-day New York) and the Delaware Valley. One notable figure was Michiel Vandegrift, born in 1655 in Amsterdam, who settled in New Netherland and became a prominent landowner and farmer.

The Vandegrift name also appears in historical records from the American Revolutionary War. Johannes Vandegrift, born in 1742 in Pennsylvania, served as a militiaman in the Continental Army and participated in several battles against the British forces.

Another notable bearer of the Vandegrift surname was Alexander Archer Vandegrift, born in 1887 in Virginia. He was a highly decorated United States Marine Corps officer who served in World War I and World War II. Vandegrift is most famous for his leadership as the commanding general during the Battle of Guadalcanal, for which he received the Medal of Honor.

Other individuals with the Vandegrift surname include:

1. Nicolaas Vandegrift (1660-1725), a Dutch settler in New Netherland who became a prominent landowner and businessman.
2. Jacob Vandegrift (1715-1798), an American farmer and Revolutionary War soldier from Pennsylvania.
3. Eliza Vandegrift (1817-1903), an American author and educator from Ohio who wrote several books on domestic science and home economics.
4. Marinus Vandegrift (1841-1901), a Dutch-American politician who served as a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly and the Wisconsin State Senate in the late 19th century.
5. Gerrit Vandegrift (1909-1992), a Dutch-American artist and illustrator known for his work in children's books and magazine illustrations.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Vandegrift

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

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

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

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