Find out how popular the last name Vanderwel is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Vanderwel.

Vanderwel, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Vanderwel surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Vanderwel in America

Vanderwel is the 98553rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Vanderwel surname appeared 184 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Vanderwel.

We can also compare 2010 data for Vanderwel to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Vanderwel

The surname VANDERWEL is of Dutch origin, originating in the Low Countries region during the medieval period. This name is a combination of two Dutch words: "van der" meaning "from the" and "wel" meaning "well" or "spring." It likely referred to someone who lived near a notable well or freshwater spring.

One of the earliest recorded instances of this surname dates back to the 13th century, when a Willemus van der Wele was mentioned in a charter from the town of Dordrecht in modern-day Netherlands. The name appears to have been concentrated in the western provinces of the Netherlands, particularly in areas like Zuid-Holland and Noord-Brabant.

In the 15th century, records show a Jacop Vanderwel living in the city of Leiden. This spelling variation, without the space between the two components of the name, became more common over time. During the Dutch Golden Age of the 17th century, a merchant named Pieter Vanderwel was involved in the lucrative spice trade with the Dutch East Indies.

Notable individuals with the surname VANDERWEL include Johannes Vanderwel (1592-1647), a Dutch Golden Age painter known for his still life paintings. Another was Adriaen Vanderwel (1639-1691), a Dutch Golden Age landscape painter who specialized in depicting winter scenes and architectural ruins.

In the 19th century, a Dutch civil engineer named Cornelis Vanderwel (1813-1879) oversaw the construction of several major infrastructure projects, including the Nieuwe Waterweg canal connecting Rotterdam to the North Sea. Later, a Dutch botanist named Frederik Vanderwel (1867-1934) made significant contributions to the study of plant taxonomy and nomenclature.

As the Dutch Empire expanded its global reach, the surname VANDERWEL likely spread to other parts of the world, particularly in areas with significant Dutch settlement or influence, such as South Africa, Indonesia, and the Caribbean. However, the name's origins can be traced back to the Low Countries region and its earliest documented appearances in the medieval and early modern periods.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Vanderwel

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Vanderwel.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Vanderwel was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Vanderwel has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Vanderwel was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Vanderwel, please contact us.

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