2000
#13,240
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.78
Rare Last name
Vanderlinden
A Dutch topographic surname indicating someone lived near linden trees.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,477 Americans carry the last name Vanderlinden. That puts it at #13,477 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 138,375 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vanderlinden 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 138,375
Census rank
#13,477
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,160 bearers of the surname Vanderlinden in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13477th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanderlinden, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vanderlinden
The surname VANDERLINDEN originated in the Netherlands, specifically in the region of Brabant, during the medieval period. It is a toponymic name, derived from the Dutch words "van der" meaning "from the" and "linden" meaning "linden tree." This suggests that the name likely referred to someone who lived near or owned property near a linden tree or a grove of linden trees.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 13th century in various Dutch historical records and manuscripts. One notable example is the mention of a Jacob Vanderlinden in a land registry document from the town of Breda in 1278. The name also appears in the archives of the city of Antwerp, where a Willem Vanderlinden is listed as a merchant in the late 15th century.
In the Netherlands, the name VANDERLINDEN was particularly prevalent in the provinces of North Brabant and Antwerp. It is believed that some individuals with this surname may have migrated to other parts of Europe, such as Belgium and Germany, during the 16th and 17th centuries, when the Low Countries experienced significant political and religious turmoil.
One notable figure with the surname VANDERLINDEN was Jan Vanderlinden (1525-1587), a Dutch painter and engraver who was active in Antwerp during the Renaissance. His works included religious paintings and portraits commissioned by wealthy patrons.
Another individual of note was Pieter Vanderlinden (1647-1724), a Dutch Golden Age portrait painter who studied under the renowned artist Gerard ter Borch. He was known for his skilled depictions of wealthy Dutch citizens and their families.
In the 19th century, a Belgian general named Jean-Baptiste Vanderlinden (1785-1865) gained prominence during the Napoleonic Wars. He served under Napoleon Bonaparte and later fought against the Dutch during the Belgian Revolution of 1830, helping to secure Belgium's independence.
A more recent figure was the Dutch-American astronomer and astrophysicist Jacob Vanderlinden (1908-1994), who made significant contributions to the study of stellar atmospheres and the development of astrophysical instrumentation.
Lastly, the name VANDERLINDEN is also associated with the Dutch philosopher and ethicist Harry Vanderlinden (1943-2021), who was known for his work on animal rights and environmental ethics.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vanderlinden
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanderlinden, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Vanderlinden 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 Vanderlinden surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.8% · 1,983
- Two or more races3.6% · 78
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 70
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 8
- Black or African American0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vanderlinden
Vanderlinden 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
#13,214
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,313
+199 bearers (+9.4%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Up 26 places
2020
#13,477
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,160
-153 bearers (-6.6%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Down 263 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,240 | 2,114 | 0.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,214 | 2,313 | 0.78 | +199 bearers (+9.4%) | Up 26 places |
| 2020 | #13,477 | 2,160 | 0.72 | -153 bearers (-6.6%) | Down 263 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 Vanderlinden 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 | #13,214 | #13,477 | -2.0% |
| Count | 2,313 | 2,160 | -6.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.78 | 0.72 | -7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vanderlinden bearers went from 2,313 to 2,160 (-6.6% change). The surname moved down 263 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,214 to #13,477.
FAQ
Vanderlinden surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vanderlinden?
Name Census estimates that about 2,477 living Americans carry the surname Vanderlinden. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 138,375 residents.
How common is Vanderlinden?
Vanderlinden ranks #13,477 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.72 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 2,160 people with the surname Vanderlinden. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,477), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.72 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 Vanderlinden.
Has Vanderlinden become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vanderlinden went from 2,313 recorded bearers to 2,160. That is a decrease of 153 (-6.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,214 to #13,477.
What does the Census say about the background of Vanderlinden?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanderlinden, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Vanderlinden in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (1,983 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vanderlinden appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.8%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Vanderlinden (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 Vanderlinden mean?
A Dutch topographic surname indicating someone lived near linden trees. 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 Vanderlinden (0.72 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 Vanderlinden?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.