2010
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Vanderspek
A Dutch surname referring to someone who worked with bacon or pork.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Vanderspek. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vanderspek 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Vanderspek in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanderspek, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vanderspek
The surname VANDERSPEK has its origins in the Netherlands, where it first appeared in the 16th century. It is derived from the Dutch words "van der" meaning "from the" and "spek" meaning "bacon". The name likely originated as a nickname for someone who worked as a pork butcher or was associated with the production or selling of bacon.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name VANDERSPEK can be found in the municipal records of Amsterdam from the year 1589, where a Pieter VANDERSPEK is mentioned as a resident of the city. Another early reference is found in the archives of the city of Leiden from 1612, which mentions a Willem VANDERSPEK who was a member of the local guild of butchers.
In the 17th century, the VANDERSPEK name began to spread beyond the Netherlands, with individuals bearing this surname appearing in various parts of Europe and the Americas. One notable example is Hans VANDERSPEK, a Dutch settler who arrived in New Netherland (present-day New York) in 1638 and became a prominent member of the community.
Over the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the VANDERSPEK surname. In the 18th century, Jacobus VANDERSPEK (1712-1783) was a renowned painter and engraver who worked in Amsterdam. In the 19th century, Adriaan VANDERSPEK (1826-1901) was a Dutch politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Netherlands from 1891 to 1894.
In more recent times, Jan VANDERSPEK (1902-1978) was a Dutch resistance fighter during World War II who played a crucial role in the Dutch resistance against the Nazi occupation. Another notable figure is Cornelia VANDERSPEK (born 1942), a renowned Dutch author and journalist who has written several acclaimed novels and non-fiction works.
While the name VANDERSPEK is not as common today as it once was, it still holds a significant place in Dutch history and culture, serving as a reminder of the country's rich traditions and heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vanderspek
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanderspek, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Vanderspek 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 Vanderspek surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.6% · 112
- Two or more races6.6% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vanderspek
Vanderspek appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+11 bearers (+10.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 8,086 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+10.0%) | Up 8,086 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 Vanderspek 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 | #149,395 | #141,309 | 5.4% |
| Count | 110 | 121 | 10.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vanderspek bearers went from 110 to 121 (+10.0% change). The surname moved up 8,086 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #141,309.
FAQ
Vanderspek surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vanderspek?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Vanderspek. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Vanderspek?
Vanderspek ranks #141,309 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 121 people with the surname Vanderspek. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), 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 Vanderspek.
Has Vanderspek become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vanderspek went from 110 recorded bearers to 121. That is an increase of 11 (+10.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #149,395 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Vanderspek?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanderspek, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%). 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 Vanderspek in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.6% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vanderspek appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.6%), Two or More Races (6.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%). 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 Vanderspek (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 Vanderspek mean?
A Dutch surname referring to someone who worked with bacon or pork. 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 Vanderspek (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 have the last name Vanderspek?
See how many people have the surname Vanderspek on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.