2000
#137,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Vanderkarr
A Dutch surname composed of "van der" meaning "from the" and "kar" meaning a cart or wagon.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Vanderkarr. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vanderkarr 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Vanderkarr in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanderkarr, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vanderkarr
The surname VANDERKARR has its origins in the Netherlands, specifically in the regions of Utrecht and Overijssel, dating back to the late 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Dutch words "van der" meaning "from the" and "karr," which could refer to a low, marshy area or a geological feature like a ravine or gully.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in church records and land registries from the towns of Amersfoort and Zwolle in the late 1500s and early 1600s. Some of the earliest spellings include "Van der Karre," "Vanderkarre," and "Van der Karren." These variations likely reflect regional dialects and scribal conventions of the time.
While no direct connections can be made, the name VANDERKARR bears some resemblance to place names like Kaardestein and Kaarden, both located in the province of Utrecht. It's possible that the surname originated as a locative name, indicating a person's place of origin or residence.
In terms of historical figures, one notable bearer of the name was Jan VANDERKARR (1624-1689), a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of Amsterdam. His name appears in various trade records and municipal documents from the mid-17th century.
Another individual of note was Pieter VANDERKARR (1702-1768), a Dutch military officer who served in the Wars of the Austrian Succession and the Seven Years' War. He rose to the rank of colonel in the Dutch States Army and is mentioned in several military dispatches and histories from that period.
In the 19th century, a VANDERKARR family from Gelderland produced two notable scholars: Willem VANDERKARR (1821-1891), a linguist and professor at the University of Leiden, and his brother, Hendrik VANDERKARR (1826-1898), a renowned botanist and curator at the Hortus Botanicus in Amsterdam.
Crossing the Atlantic, one of the earliest recorded instances of the name in North America is that of Dirk VANDERKARR (1754-1822), a Dutch immigrant who settled in the Hudson Valley region of New York in the late 18th century. He and his descendants are mentioned in local census records and historical accounts of the area.
Finally, in the realm of literature, the Dutch writer and poet Geert VANDERKARR (1892-1972) gained recognition for his works exploring themes of rural life and the natural world. His poetry collections, such as "Landschappen" (Landscapes) and "De Stille Stroom" (The Silent Stream), earned him critical acclaim and several literary awards.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vanderkarr
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanderkarr, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Vanderkarr 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 Vanderkarr surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.8% · 110
- Two or more races2.6% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vanderkarr
Vanderkarr 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
#132,206
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
+16 bearers (+14.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,610 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-12 bearers (-9.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,822 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #137,816 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #132,206 | 128 | 0.04 | +16 bearers (+14.3%) | Up 5,610 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -12 bearers (-9.4%) | Down 12,822 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 Vanderkarr 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 | #132,206 | #145,028 | -9.7% |
| Count | 128 | 116 | -9.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vanderkarr bearers went from 128 to 116 (-9.4% change). The surname moved down 12,822 positions in the national ranking, going from #132,206 to #145,028.
FAQ
Vanderkarr surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vanderkarr?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Vanderkarr. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Vanderkarr?
Vanderkarr ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Vanderkarr. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Vanderkarr.
Has Vanderkarr become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vanderkarr went from 128 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 12 (-9.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #132,206 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Vanderkarr?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanderkarr, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Vanderkarr in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.8% (110 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vanderkarr appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.8%), Two or More Races (2.6%), Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Vanderkarr (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 Vanderkarr mean?
A Dutch surname composed of "van der" meaning "from the" and "kar" meaning a cart or wagon. 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 Vanderkarr (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 many people share the surname Vanderkarr?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.