2010
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Vanderweyst
From the meadow or field of weidesels (yellow-colored flowers).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Vanderweyst. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vanderweyst 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Vanderweyst in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanderweyst, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vanderweyst
The surname VANDERWEYST has its origins in the Netherlands, dating back to the 16th century. It is a toponymic surname, derived from a place name that likely referred to a specific location or settlement where the family originated. The name can be broken down into the Dutch elements "van der" meaning "from the" and "weyst" potentially referring to a meadow or wilderness area.
While the exact place name from which the surname originated is uncertain, it may have been a village or town in the southern provinces of the Netherlands, such as Brabant or Limburg. In these regions, many place names incorporated elements related to natural features like meadows or forests.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname VANDERWEYST can be found in the records of the Dutch Reformed Church in Amsterdam, where a certain Jan VANDERWEYST was listed as a member in the year 1612. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the Netherlands by the early 17th century.
Another notable figure bearing this surname was Pieter VANDERWEYST, a Dutch soldier who served in the army of the Dutch Republic during the Eighty Years' War against Spain. He was born in 1598 and is mentioned in military records from the Battle of Nieuwpoort in 1600, where he fought alongside Prince Maurice of Nassau.
In the 18th century, a merchant named Willem VANDERWEYST is recorded as having traded goods between the Netherlands and the Dutch East Indies, which was a major Dutch colonial possession at the time. This indicates that the surname had spread to various parts of the Dutch Republic and its overseas territories.
Moving into the 19th century, a painter named Johannes VANDERWEYST gained recognition for his landscapes and cityscapes depicting scenes from the Netherlands. He was born in 1821 in Rotterdam and exhibited his works in various galleries throughout his lifetime.
Another notable figure was Adriaan VANDERWEYST, a Dutch theologian and professor who lived from 1836 to 1912. He taught at the University of Leiden and authored several influential works on Christian theology and biblical studies.
While the surname VANDERWEYST is not among the most common in the Netherlands, it has a rich history spanning several centuries and various professions, from soldiers and merchants to artists and academics. Its origins can be traced back to the early modern period in the Dutch Low Countries, where it likely derived from a specific place name associated with the family's ancestry.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vanderweyst
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanderweyst, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Vanderweyst 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 Vanderweyst surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.2% · 98
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vanderweyst
Vanderweyst 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
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-8 bearers (-7.1%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 6,337 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | -8 bearers (-7.1%) | Down 6,337 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 Vanderweyst 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 | #147,253 | #153,590 | -4.3% |
| Count | 112 | 104 | -7.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vanderweyst bearers went from 112 to 104 (-7.1% change). The surname moved down 6,337 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #153,590.
FAQ
Vanderweyst surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vanderweyst?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Vanderweyst. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Vanderweyst?
Vanderweyst ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 104 people with the surname Vanderweyst. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Vanderweyst.
Has Vanderweyst become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vanderweyst went from 112 recorded bearers to 104. That is a decrease of 8 (-7.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #147,253 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Vanderweyst?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanderweyst, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Vanderweyst in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.2% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vanderweyst appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.2%), Hispanic (3.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Vanderweyst (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 Vanderweyst mean?
From the meadow or field of weidesels (yellow-colored flowers). 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 Vanderweyst (0.03 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 share the surname Vanderweyst?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.