2000
#24,680
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 948
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.35
Rare Last name
Vandevelde
A Dutch locational surname meaning "from the field".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,149 Americans carry the last name Vandevelde. That puts it at #25,766 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.34 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 298,307 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vandevelde 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
1.1K
1 in 298,307
Census rank
#25,766
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,002 bearers of the surname Vandevelde in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.34 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 25766th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vandevelde, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vandevelde
The surname VANDEVELDE originated in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is an occupational name derived from the Middle Dutch words "van de velde", meaning "from the field" or "from the open country". The name likely originated in the 13th or 14th century as a way to identify people who lived or worked in rural areas outside of towns or cities.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name VANDEVELDE can be found in the Bruges municipal records from the year 1411, where a person named Jan VANDEVELDE is mentioned. The name also appears in the Gent records from the 15th century, indicating its widespread use in the region during that time.
In the 16th century, the VANDEVELDE name is found in various Dutch and Flemish records, including the Leiden municipal archives from 1585, which mentions a painter named Esaias VANDEVELDE. This Esaias VANDEVELDE (c. 1591-1630) was a renowned Dutch Golden Age painter known for his landscape and marine paintings.
Another notable individual with this surname was Willem VANDEVELDE the Elder (c. 1611-1693), a Dutch Golden Age painter who specialized in maritime art and was the father of the famous maritime painter Willem VANDEVELDE the Younger (1633-1707). Both father and son were highly regarded for their realistic depictions of ships and naval battles.
In the 18th century, a prominent figure with the VANDEVELDE name was Adriaan VANDEVELDE (1636-1712), a Dutch botanist and physician who made significant contributions to the study of plants and their medicinal properties.
As the VANDEVELDE surname spread across Europe, it took on various spellings and adaptations, such as VANDEVELD, VANDEVELD, VANDERVELDE, and VANDERVELD, reflecting the linguistic influences of different regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vandevelde
Among Census respondents with the surname Vandevelde, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Vandevelde 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 Vandevelde surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.9% · 941
- Two or more races3.0% · 30
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 8
- Black or African American0.5% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vandevelde
Vandevelde 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
#24,531
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,019
+71 bearers (+7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.35
Rank movement Up 149 places
2020
#25,766
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,002
-17 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.34
Rank movement Down 1,235 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #24,680 | 948 | 0.35 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #24,531 | 1,019 | 0.35 | +71 bearers (+7.5%) | Up 149 places |
| 2020 | #25,766 | 1,002 | 0.34 | -17 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 1,235 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 Vandevelde 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 | #24,531 | #25,766 | -5.0% |
| Count | 1,019 | 1,002 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.35 | 0.34 | -4.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vandevelde bearers went from 1,019 to 1,002 (-1.7% change). The surname moved down 1,235 positions in the national ranking, going from #24,531 to #25,766.
FAQ
Vandevelde surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vandevelde?
Name Census estimates that about 1,149 living Americans carry the surname Vandevelde. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 298,307 residents.
How common is Vandevelde?
Vandevelde ranks #25,766 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.34 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 1,002 people with the surname Vandevelde. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,149), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.34 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.34 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 Vandevelde.
Has Vandevelde become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vandevelde went from 1,019 recorded bearers to 1,002. That is a decrease of 17 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #24,531 to #25,766.
What does the Census say about the background of Vandevelde?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vandevelde, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Vandevelde in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.9% (941 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vandevelde appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.9%), Two or More Races (3.0%), Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Vandevelde (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 Vandevelde mean?
A Dutch locational surname meaning "from the field". 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 Vandevelde (0.34 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 Vandevelde?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.