2000
#13,825
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,006
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.74
Rare Last name
Vanderveen
Derived from a Dutch place name meaning "from the peat bog" or "from the moor."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,531 Americans carry the last name Vanderveen. That puts it at #13,250 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.74 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 135,422 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vanderveen 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 135,422
Census rank
#13,250
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,207 bearers of the surname Vanderveen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.74 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13250th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanderveen, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vanderveen
The surname VANDERVEEN is of Dutch origin, tracing its roots back to the Netherlands during the Middle Ages. The name is derived from the Dutch words "van der" meaning "from the" and "veen" meaning "fen" or "peat bog." This suggests that the name likely originated from a specific region or locality characterized by its marshy or peat-rich landscapes.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Dutch province of Friesland, where it appeared in the town records of Leeuwarden in the late 14th century. The name was spelled in various ways, such as "van der Veene" and "van der Vene," reflecting the regional dialects and scribal variations of the time.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the VANDERVEEN surname gained prominence in the Dutch Republic, particularly in the provinces of Holland and Zeeland. This period coincided with the rise of Dutch maritime trade and exploration, which led to the establishment of Dutch settlements in various parts of the world, including the Americas, Africa, and Asia.
One notable bearer of the VANDERVEEN surname was Pieter Vanderveen (1570-1638), a Dutch navigator and explorer who participated in several expeditions to the East Indies. He is credited with charting and mapping various islands in the Indonesian archipelago, contributing to the expansion of Dutch colonial interests in the region.
Another prominent figure was Cornelis Vanderveen (1612-1683), a Dutch Golden Age painter known for his landscape and architectural paintings. His works provide valuable insights into the urban and rural landscapes of the Netherlands during the 17th century.
In the 18th century, the VANDERVEEN surname can be found in historical records from the Dutch Cape Colony (present-day South Africa). One such individual was Jan Vanderveen (1725-1798), a farmer and landowner who settled in the Cape region and contributed to the development of the colony's agricultural sector.
As the Dutch diaspora spread across the globe, the VANDERVEEN surname travelled with them. For example, in the early 19th century, Johanna Vanderveen (1790-1867) emigrated from the Netherlands to the United States, settling in New York and becoming one of the earliest bearers of the name in America.
Throughout its history, the VANDERVEEN surname has been associated with various professions, including seafarers, artists, farmers, and merchants, reflecting the diverse contributions of its bearers to the cultural and economic fabric of the places they called home.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vanderveen
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanderveen, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Vanderveen 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 Vanderveen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.1% · 2,077
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 58
- Two or more races1.9% · 43
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 17
- Black or African American0.4% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vanderveen
Vanderveen 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
#14,382
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,078
+72 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Down 557 places
2020
#13,250
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,207
+129 bearers (+6.2%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Up 1,132 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,825 | 2,006 | 0.74 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,382 | 2,078 | 0.70 | +72 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 557 places |
| 2020 | #13,250 | 2,207 | 0.74 | +129 bearers (+6.2%) | Up 1,132 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 Vanderveen 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 | #14,382 | #13,250 | 7.9% |
| Count | 2,078 | 2,207 | 6.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.70 | 0.74 | 5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vanderveen bearers went from 2,078 to 2,207 (+6.2% change). The surname moved up 1,132 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,382 to #13,250.
FAQ
Vanderveen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vanderveen?
Name Census estimates that about 2,531 living Americans carry the surname Vanderveen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 135,422 residents.
How common is Vanderveen?
Vanderveen ranks #13,250 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.74 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 2,207 people with the surname Vanderveen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,531), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.74 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.74 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 Vanderveen.
Has Vanderveen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vanderveen went from 2,078 recorded bearers to 2,207. That is an increase of 129 (+6.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,382 to #13,250.
What does the Census say about the background of Vanderveen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanderveen, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Vanderveen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.1% (2,077 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vanderveen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.1%), Hispanic (2.6%), Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Vanderveen (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 Vanderveen mean?
Derived from a Dutch place name meaning "from the peat bog" or "from the moor." 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 Vanderveen (0.74 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 Vanderveen?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.