2000
#12,942
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,175
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.81
Rare Last name
Vandegrift
A Dutch occupational surname referring to a ditch digger or canal builder.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,330 Americans carry the last name Vandegrift. That puts it at #14,183 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.68 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 147,105 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vandegrift 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
2.3K
1 in 147,105
Census rank
#14,183
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,032 bearers of the surname Vandegrift in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.68 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14183rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vandegrift, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vandegrift
Among Census respondents with the surname Vandegrift, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Vandegrift 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 Vandegrift surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.9% · 1,888
- Two or more races2.6% · 53
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 48
- Black or African American1.4% · 29
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vandegrift
Vandegrift 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
#13,470
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,260
+85 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Down 528 places
2020
#14,183
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,032
-228 bearers (-10.1%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Down 713 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,942 | 2,175 | 0.81 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,470 | 2,260 | 0.77 | +85 bearers (+3.9%) | Down 528 places |
| 2020 | #14,183 | 2,032 | 0.68 | -228 bearers (-10.1%) | Down 713 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 Vandegrift 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 | #13,470 | #14,183 | -5.3% |
| Count | 2,260 | 2,032 | -10.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.77 | 0.68 | -11.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vandegrift bearers went from 2,260 to 2,032 (-10.1% change). The surname moved down 713 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,470 to #14,183.
FAQ
Vandegrift surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vandegrift?
Name Census estimates that about 2,330 living Americans carry the surname Vandegrift. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 147,105 residents.
How common is Vandegrift?
Vandegrift ranks #14,183 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.68 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 2,032 people with the surname Vandegrift. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,330), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.68 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.68 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 Vandegrift.
Has Vandegrift become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vandegrift went from 2,260 recorded bearers to 2,032. That is a decrease of 228 (-10.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,470 to #14,183.
What does the Census say about the background of Vandegrift?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vandegrift, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Vandegrift in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.9% (1,888 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vandegrift appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.9%), Two or More Races (2.6%), Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Vandegrift (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 Vandegrift mean?
A Dutch occupational surname referring to a ditch digger or canal 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 Vandegrift (0.68 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 Americans have the surname Vandegrift?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.