2000
#5,035
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,395
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.37
Rare Last name
Vandenberg
A Dutch toponymic surname indicating someone from any of several places called Vandenberg, meaning "from the mountain."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,720 Americans carry the last name Vandenberg. That puts it at #5,052 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.25 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 44,398 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vandenberg 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Vandenberg with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.7K
1 in 44,398
Census rank
#5,052
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,732 bearers of the surname Vandenberg in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.25 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5052nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vandenberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vandenberg
Among Census respondents with the surname Vandenberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Vandenberg 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 Vandenberg surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.5% · 6,095
- Two or more races4.5% · 306
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 220
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 58
- Black or African American0.5% · 31
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 22
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vandenberg
Vandenberg 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
#4,944
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,121
+726 bearers (+11.4%)
Per 100,000 2.41
Rank movement Up 91 places
2020
#5,052
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,732
-389 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 2.25
Rank movement Down 108 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,035 | 6,395 | 2.37 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,944 | 7,121 | 2.41 | +726 bearers (+11.4%) | Up 91 places |
| 2020 | #5,052 | 6,732 | 2.25 | -389 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 108 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 Vandenberg 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 | #4,944 | #5,052 | -2.2% |
| Count | 7,121 | 6,732 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 2.41 | 2.25 | -6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vandenberg bearers went from 7,121 to 6,732 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 108 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,944 to #5,052.
FAQ
Vandenberg surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vandenberg?
Name Census estimates that about 7,720 living Americans carry the surname Vandenberg. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 44,398 residents.
How common is Vandenberg?
Vandenberg ranks #5,052 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.25 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,732 people with the surname Vandenberg. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,720), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.25 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.25 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Vandenberg.
Has Vandenberg become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vandenberg went from 7,121 recorded bearers to 6,732. That is a decrease of 389 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,944 to #5,052.
What does the Census say about the background of Vandenberg?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vandenberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Vandenberg in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.5% (6,095 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vandenberg appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.5%), Two or More Races (4.5%), Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Vandenberg (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 Vandenberg mean?
A Dutch toponymic surname indicating someone from any of several places called Vandenberg, meaning "from the mountain." 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 Vandenberg (2.25 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 people have the surname Vandenberg?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.