2000
#16,314
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,626
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.60
Rare Last name
Vandermolen
An occupational surname derived from Dutch words meaning "from the mill".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,031 Americans carry the last name Vandermolen. That puts it at #15,833 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.59 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 168,761 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vandermolen 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
2.0K
1 in 168,761
Census rank
#15,833
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,771 bearers of the surname Vandermolen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.59 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15833rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vandermolen, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vandermolen
The surname VANDERMOLEN is of Dutch origin, derived from the Dutch phrase "van der molen," which translates to "from the mill." This name likely originated in the Netherlands during the Middle Ages, when surnames were often derived from occupations, locations, or physical characteristics.
The earliest known record of the VANDERMOLEN surname dates back to the late 16th century in the Netherlands. During this time, surnames were becoming more widely adopted, and many families took on names related to their trades or residences. The VANDERMOLEN name would have been given to individuals who lived near or worked at a mill.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the VANDERMOLEN surname was Pieter VANDERMOLEN, who was born in Amsterdam in 1623. He was a prominent merchant and trader, and his name appears in several historical records from the Dutch Golden Age.
Another notable VANDERMOLEN was Jan VANDERMOLEN, a Dutch painter who lived in the 17th century. His works, primarily landscapes and seascapes, can be found in various museums across Europe.
In the 18th century, the VANDERMOLEN surname spread to other parts of Europe and the Americas as Dutch settlers and immigrants carried the name with them. One such individual was Cornelis VANDERMOLEN, who immigrated to New Amsterdam (present-day New York) in 1654. He became a successful trader and landowner in the Dutch colony.
During the 19th century, the VANDERMOLEN name appeared in various historical records across Europe and North America. For instance, Gerrit VANDERMOLEN was a Dutch-American businessman who founded the VANDERMOLEN Company in Chicago in 1872, which manufactured agricultural equipment.
Another noteworthy individual was Maria VANDERMOLEN, a Dutch writer and activist born in 1865. She was a prominent figure in the women's suffrage movement in the Netherlands and published several works advocating for women's rights.
Throughout its history, the VANDERMOLEN surname has been associated with various occupations, including millers, merchants, artists, and entrepreneurs. While the name has its roots in the Netherlands, it has since spread to other parts of the world, carried by Dutch immigrants and their descendants.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vandermolen
Among Census respondents with the surname Vandermolen, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Vandermolen 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 Vandermolen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 1,637
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 61
- Two or more races2.8% · 49
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 18
- Black or African American0.2% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vandermolen
Vandermolen 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
#16,544
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,735
+109 bearers (+6.7%)
Per 100,000 0.59
Rank movement Down 230 places
2020
#15,833
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,771
+36 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 0.59
Rank movement Up 711 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,314 | 1,626 | 0.60 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,544 | 1,735 | 0.59 | +109 bearers (+6.7%) | Down 230 places |
| 2020 | #15,833 | 1,771 | 0.59 | +36 bearers (+2.1%) | Up 711 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 Vandermolen 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 | #16,544 | #15,833 | 4.3% |
| Count | 1,735 | 1,771 | 2.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.59 | 0.59 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vandermolen bearers went from 1,735 to 1,771 (+2.1% change). The surname moved up 711 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,544 to #15,833.
FAQ
Vandermolen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vandermolen?
Name Census estimates that about 2,031 living Americans carry the surname Vandermolen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 168,761 residents.
How common is Vandermolen?
Vandermolen ranks #15,833 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.59 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 1,771 people with the surname Vandermolen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,031), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.59 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.59 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 Vandermolen.
Has Vandermolen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vandermolen went from 1,735 recorded bearers to 1,771. That is an increase of 36 (+2.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #16,544 to #15,833.
What does the Census say about the background of Vandermolen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vandermolen, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Vandermolen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (1,637 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vandermolen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Vandermolen (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 Vandermolen mean?
An occupational surname derived from Dutch words meaning "from the mill". 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 Vandermolen (0.59 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 are called Vandermolen?
See how many people are called Vandermolen on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.