2000
#28,256
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 797
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.30
Rare Last name
Vanderbeek
A Dutch surname meaning "from the brook" or "of the brook".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,087 Americans carry the last name Vanderbeek. That puts it at #27,006 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.32 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 315,321 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vanderbeek 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
1.1K
1 in 315,321
Census rank
#27,006
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
948
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 948 bearers of the surname Vanderbeek in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.32 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 27006th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanderbeek, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vanderbeek
The surname VANDERBEEK originated in the Netherlands during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Dutch words "van der" meaning "of the" and "beek" meaning "brook" or "stream". The name likely referred to someone who lived near a brook or stream.
One of the earliest known records of the name VANDERBEEK appears in the town of Leiden, in the Dutch province of Zuid-Holland, in the 14th century. The spelling was sometimes written as "van der Beke" or "van der Beeck".
In the late 15th century, a prominent Dutch painter named Jacob Cornelisz van der Beeck (c. 1456-1532) was active in Amsterdam. His works included religious paintings and portraits.
During the Dutch Golden Age in the 17th century, a poet and playwright named Laurens van der Beeck (1620-1675) gained recognition for his tragedies and comedies.
In the 18th century, a Dutch merchant named Johannes van der Beeck (1724-1792) established trade routes between the Netherlands and the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia).
The name VANDERBEEK also spread to other parts of Europe, such as Germany and Belgium, where it was sometimes spelled as "Vanderbeek" or "Vander Beek".
One notable figure with this surname was the Belgian artist and printmaker Edouard Vanderbeek (1843-1920), known for his etchings and engravings depicting landscapes and rural scenes.
As Dutch settlers began to migrate to the Americas in the 17th and 18th centuries, the VANDERBEEK surname was introduced to North America. Some early bearers of the name settled in the Dutch colony of New Netherland (later New York) and other parts of the British colonies.
Overall, the surname VANDERBEEK has a rich history rooted in the Netherlands, with connections to art, literature, and commerce throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vanderbeek
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanderbeek, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Vanderbeek 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 Vanderbeek surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.8% · 880
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 38
- Two or more races2.0% · 19
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 8
- Black or African American0.3% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vanderbeek
Vanderbeek 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
#27,411
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 880
+83 bearers (+10.4%)
Per 100,000 0.30
Rank movement Up 845 places
2020
#27,006
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 948
+68 bearers (+7.7%)
Per 100,000 0.32
Rank movement Up 405 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #28,256 | 797 | 0.30 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #27,411 | 880 | 0.30 | +83 bearers (+10.4%) | Up 845 places |
| 2020 | #27,006 | 948 | 0.32 | +68 bearers (+7.7%) | Up 405 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 Vanderbeek 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 | #27,411 | #27,006 | 1.5% |
| Count | 880 | 948 | 7.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.30 | 0.32 | 5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vanderbeek bearers went from 880 to 948 (+7.7% change). The surname moved up 405 positions in the national ranking, going from #27,411 to #27,006.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Vanderbeek
FAQ
Vanderbeek surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vanderbeek?
Name Census estimates that about 1,087 living Americans carry the surname Vanderbeek. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 315,321 residents.
How common is Vanderbeek?
Vanderbeek ranks #27,006 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.32 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 948 people with the surname Vanderbeek. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,087), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.32 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.32 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 Vanderbeek.
Has Vanderbeek become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vanderbeek went from 880 recorded bearers to 948. That is an increase of 68 (+7.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #27,411 to #27,006.
What does the Census say about the background of Vanderbeek?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanderbeek, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Vanderbeek in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (880 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vanderbeek appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.8%), Hispanic (4.0%), Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Vanderbeek (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 Vanderbeek mean?
A Dutch surname meaning "from the brook" or "of the brook". 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 Vanderbeek (0.32 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 last name Vanderbeek?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Vanderbeek at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.