2000
#12,261
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,327
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.86
Rare Last name
Vanderhoof
A Dutch toponymic surname indicating an origin near a farm or courtyard owned by someone named Hoof.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,507 Americans carry the last name Vanderhoof. That puts it at #13,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 136,719 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vanderhoof 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
2.5K
1 in 136,719
Census rank
#13,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,186 bearers of the surname Vanderhoof in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanderhoof, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vanderhoof
The surname Vanderhoof originates from the Netherlands, likely emerging in the 16th or 17th century. It is derived from the Dutch words "van der" meaning "from the" and "hoof" meaning "headland" or "promontory." This suggests the name may have originated from a specific geographical location or settlement situated on a headland or elevated area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Vanderhoof name can be found in Dutch municipal records from the late 16th century, where it appears spelled as "Van der Hoff." This variation in spelling was common during that era, as standardized spellings had not yet been established.
In the 17th century, the Vanderhoof name appears in various Dutch archival records, including church registers and legal documents. One notable individual from this period was Johannes Vanderhoof, a merchant who lived in Amsterdam from 1635 to 1698.
As the Dutch established colonies and trading outposts around the world, the Vanderhoof name likely spread beyond the Netherlands. In the early 18th century, records show a Jacob Vanderhoof who was a farmer in the Dutch Cape Colony (present-day South Africa), born in 1712.
In the late 18th century, the Vanderhoof name began to appear in North American records, likely due to Dutch immigration to the British colonies and the United States. One of the earliest recorded instances is Pieter Vanderhoof, a Revolutionary War soldier from New Jersey, born in 1755.
Another notable individual from this era was Wilhelmus Vanderhoof, a Dutch-American painter born in 1785 in New York City, known for his portraiture work.
As the Vanderhoof name continued to spread, it underwent various spelling variations, including Vanderhoff, Van der Hoff, and Vanderhove. In the 19th century, the more standardized spelling of Vanderhoof became more prevalent.
One notable bearer of the Vanderhoof name in the 19th century was Andrew Vanderhoof, a Canadian politician and businessman from Ontario, born in 1835. He served as a member of the Canadian Parliament from 1867 to 1872.
Another significant figure was Gerrit Vanderhoof, a Dutch-American author and journalist born in 1856 in New York, known for his works on Dutch history and culture.
While the Vanderhoof surname may have originated from a specific location in the Netherlands, it has since spread across various regions and countries, with bearers contributing to diverse fields such as politics, art, and literature.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vanderhoof
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanderhoof, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Vanderhoof 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 Vanderhoof surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 2,005
- Two or more races4.0% · 88
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 63
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 24
- Black or African American0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vanderhoof
Vanderhoof 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
#13,124
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,335
+8 bearers (+0.3%)
Per 100,000 0.79
Rank movement Down 863 places
2020
#13,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,186
-149 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Down 215 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,261 | 2,327 | 0.86 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,124 | 2,335 | 0.79 | +8 bearers (+0.3%) | Down 863 places |
| 2020 | #13,339 | 2,186 | 0.73 | -149 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 215 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 Vanderhoof 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 | #13,124 | #13,339 | -1.6% |
| Count | 2,335 | 2,186 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.79 | 0.73 | -7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vanderhoof bearers went from 2,335 to 2,186 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 215 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,124 to #13,339.
FAQ
Vanderhoof surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vanderhoof?
Name Census estimates that about 2,507 living Americans carry the surname Vanderhoof. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 136,719 residents.
How common is Vanderhoof?
Vanderhoof ranks #13,339 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.73 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 2,186 people with the surname Vanderhoof. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,507), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.73 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 Vanderhoof.
Has Vanderhoof become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vanderhoof went from 2,335 recorded bearers to 2,186. That is a decrease of 149 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,124 to #13,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Vanderhoof?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanderhoof, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Vanderhoof in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (2,005 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vanderhoof appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Two or More Races (4.0%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Vanderhoof (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 Vanderhoof mean?
A Dutch toponymic surname indicating an origin near a farm or courtyard owned by someone named Hoof. 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 Vanderhoof (0.73 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 share the surname Vanderhoof?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.