2000
#138,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Vandenboss
A Dutch surname derived from Van den Bosch, meaning "from the forest".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Vandenboss. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vandenboss 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Vandenboss in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vandenboss, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vandenboss
The surname VANDENBOSS has its origins in the Netherlands, dating back to the late 16th century. It is believed to have originated in the province of Friesland, where the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found. The name is derived from the Dutch words "van den" meaning "from the" and "boss" meaning "forest" or "woods".
One of the earliest recorded instances of the VANDENBOSS name can be found in a land registry document from the town of Leeuwarden in 1587. This document lists a Jan VANDENBOSS as the owner of a parcel of land on the outskirts of the town, near a forested area. It is likely that this individual or their ancestors took on the surname as a way to identify their place of origin or occupation.
In the 17th century, the VANDENBOSS name appears in several church records from the Dutch Reformed Church in the town of Dokkum. These records include the baptisms of children born to families with the VANDENBOSS surname, suggesting that the name had become well-established in the region by this time.
One notable individual with the VANDENBOSS surname was Pieter VANDENBOSS (1638-1701), a merchant and ship owner from the city of Groningen. Pieter was involved in the lucrative trade between the Netherlands and the Dutch East Indies, and his ships traveled to and from the Indonesian islands carrying spices and other valuable goods.
Another prominent figure was Jacoba VANDENBOSS (1721-1789), a renowned painter from the city of Haarlem. Jacoba was known for her portraits and still-life paintings, which were highly sought after by wealthy patrons in the Netherlands and abroad.
In the 19th century, the VANDENBOSS name can be found in records from the Dutch colony of Suriname in South America. One such record is the birth certificate of Willem VANDENBOSS (1832-1912), who was born in the capital city of Paramaribo to parents of Dutch descent.
The VANDENBOSS surname also made its way to the United States in the late 19th century, with the arrival of immigrants from the Netherlands. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in America is the naturalization record of Hendrik VANDENBOSS (1865-1944), who settled in New York City in 1892.
Throughout its history, the VANDENBOSS surname has been associated with various occupations and locations, reflecting the diverse backgrounds of those who have borne the name. While its origins can be traced back to the forests of Friesland, the name has since spread across the globe, carried by generations of individuals with ties to the Netherlands and its rich cultural heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vandenboss
Among Census respondents with the surname Vandenboss, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Vandenboss 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 Vandenboss surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.6% · 102
- Two or more races3.7% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vandenboss
Vandenboss 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
#140,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+8 bearers (+7.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,416 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-10 bearers (-8.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,048 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #138,741 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #140,157 | 119 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.2%) | Down 1,416 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-8.4%) | Down 10,048 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 Vandenboss 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 | #140,157 | #150,205 | -7.2% |
| Count | 119 | 109 | -8.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vandenboss bearers went from 119 to 109 (-8.4% change). The surname moved down 10,048 positions in the national ranking, going from #140,157 to #150,205.
FAQ
Vandenboss surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vandenboss?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Vandenboss. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Vandenboss?
Vandenboss ranks #150,205 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 109 people with the surname Vandenboss. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Vandenboss.
Has Vandenboss become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vandenboss went from 119 recorded bearers to 109. That is a decrease of 10 (-8.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #140,157 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Vandenboss?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vandenboss, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%). 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 Vandenboss in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vandenboss appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.6%), Two or More Races (3.7%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%). 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 Vandenboss (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 Vandenboss mean?
A Dutch surname derived from Van den Bosch, meaning "from the forest". 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 Vandenboss (0.04 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 Vandenboss?
Find out how common the surname Vandenboss is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.