2000
#16,042
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,660
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.62
Rare Last name
Vanderlaan
A Dutch surname indicating someone who lived on a country lane or road.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,062 Americans carry the last name Vanderlaan. That puts it at #15,640 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 166,224 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vanderlaan 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
2.1K
1 in 166,224
Census rank
#15,640
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,798 bearers of the surname Vanderlaan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15640th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanderlaan, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vanderlaan
The surname Vanderlaan originates from the Netherlands, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Dutch words "van der" meaning "from the" and "laan" meaning "lane" or "path," suggesting the name was initially given to someone who lived near or on a particular lane or path.
One of the earliest known references to the Vanderlaan name can be found in the Dutch national archives, which record a Pieter Vanderlaan from the city of Leiden in the year 1582. Another early mention is in the baptismal records of the Reformed Church of Haarlem, where a Cornelis Vanderlaan is listed in 1612.
The Vanderlaan surname has also been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One such person was Johannes Vanderlaan (1630-1698), a Dutch Golden Age painter known for his Still Life with Flowers and Fruit and other works featuring intricate floral arrangements.
In the 18th century, Dirk Vanderlaan (1735-1818) was a prominent Dutch merchant and shipowner based in Amsterdam, who played a significant role in the city's thriving maritime trade.
Another individual of note was Willem Vanderlaan (1856-1932), a Dutch-born American architect who designed several iconic buildings in New York City, including the Colonnade Row on Lafayette Street and the Woodbridge Building on William Street.
Moving into the 20th century, Gerrit Vanderlaan (1905-1985) was a respected Dutch linguist and philologist known for his work on the Frisian language and its dialects.
Finally, a more recent figure was Sjoerd Vanderlaan (1924-2015), a Dutch resistance fighter during World War II who played a crucial role in the Dutch Resistance and was later awarded the prestigious Resistance Memorial Cross for his bravery and service.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vanderlaan
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanderlaan, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Vanderlaan 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 Vanderlaan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 1,646
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 68
- Two or more races2.9% · 52
- Black or African American1.0% · 18
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vanderlaan
Vanderlaan 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
#16,420
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,752
+92 bearers (+5.5%)
Per 100,000 0.59
Rank movement Down 378 places
2020
#15,640
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,798
+46 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Up 780 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,042 | 1,660 | 0.62 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,420 | 1,752 | 0.59 | +92 bearers (+5.5%) | Down 378 places |
| 2020 | #15,640 | 1,798 | 0.60 | +46 bearers (+2.6%) | Up 780 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 Vanderlaan 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 | #16,420 | #15,640 | 4.8% |
| Count | 1,752 | 1,798 | 2.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.59 | 0.60 | 2.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vanderlaan bearers went from 1,752 to 1,798 (+2.6% change). The surname moved up 780 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,420 to #15,640.
FAQ
Vanderlaan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vanderlaan?
Name Census estimates that about 2,062 living Americans carry the surname Vanderlaan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 166,224 residents.
How common is Vanderlaan?
Vanderlaan ranks #15,640 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.60 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 1,798 people with the surname Vanderlaan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,062), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.60 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 Vanderlaan.
Has Vanderlaan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vanderlaan went from 1,752 recorded bearers to 1,798. That is an increase of 46 (+2.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #16,420 to #15,640.
What does the Census say about the background of Vanderlaan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanderlaan, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (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 Vanderlaan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (1,646 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vanderlaan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Hispanic (3.8%), Two or More Races (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 Vanderlaan (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 Vanderlaan mean?
A Dutch surname indicating someone who lived on a country lane or road. 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 Vanderlaan (0.60 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 Americans have the surname Vanderlaan?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.