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

Vandenberg, 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 Vandenberg surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Vandenberg in America

Vandenberg is the 4944th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Vandenberg surname appeared 7,121 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Vandenberg.

We can also compare 2010 data for Vandenberg 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 Vandenberg

The surname VANDENBERG originates from the Netherlands, where it first appeared in the 16th century. It is derived from the Dutch words "van" meaning "from" and "berg" meaning "hill" or "mountain". This suggests that the name was originally given to someone who lived near or came from a particular hill or mountainous area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Dutch province of Gelderland, where a Gerrit Vandenberg is mentioned in a local parish record from 1582. The name was also present in other parts of the Netherlands during this period, with variations in spelling such as Van den Berg and Van den Bergh.

In the 17th century, the VANDENBERG name began to appear in other parts of Europe, likely due to Dutch migration and trade. For example, a Johan Vandenberg is recorded as a merchant in the city of Hamburg, Germany, in 1642.

The VANDENBERG surname has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest was Pieter Vandenberg (1572-1642), a Dutch Golden Age painter known for his still-life and vanitas paintings. Another was Antonie Vandenberg (1755-1826), a Dutch-born architect who worked in Russia and designed several buildings in St. Petersburg.

In the 19th century, the name gained prominence in the United States with the arrival of Dutch immigrants. One notable figure was Brigadier General Ralph Vandenberg (1808-1882), who served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.

Another significant VANDENBERG was Arthur H. Vandenberg (1884-1951), a Republican Senator from Michigan who played a crucial role in shaping America's foreign policy after World War II. He was a key supporter of the United Nations and the Marshall Plan.

In more recent times, the VANDENBERG name has been carried by several prominent individuals, including Hoyt S. Vandenberg (1899-1954), the second Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force, and Willem Vandenberg (1924-2021), a Dutch resistance fighter during World War II who later became a successful businessman.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Vandenberg

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

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

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

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