Vandever last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Vandever

A surname derived from a Germanic name meaning "people of the Van" or "descendants of Van".

Vandever, 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 Vandever surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Vandever in America

Vandever is the 22124th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Vandever surname appeared 1,169 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 Vandever.

We can also compare 2010 data for Vandever 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 22124 20382 8.20%
Count 1,169 1,212 -3.61%
Proportion per 100k 0.40 0.45 -11.76%

The history of the last name Vandever

The surname VANDEVER is believed to have originated in the Netherlands during the late 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the Dutch words "van de ver," which translate to "from the distance" or "from afar." This suggests that the name may have initially been given to someone who had traveled or relocated from a distant land.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the VANDEVER surname can be found in the Dutch archives from the city of Amsterdam, dating back to the year 1587. These records mention a merchant named Pieter VANDEVER, who had established a successful trading business in the city.

As the name gained popularity, it began to appear in various historical documents across the Netherlands and neighboring regions. In the 17th century, a family by the name of VANDEVER was documented as landowners in the province of Friesland, where they owned a sizable estate.

During the Dutch Golden Age, a notable figure named Jan VANDEVER (1623-1689) gained recognition as a skilled navigator and cartographer. His intricate maps and charts were highly valued by seafaring merchants and explorers of that era.

As the Dutch colonies expanded across the globe, the VANDEVER name traveled with them. In the late 17th century, a man named Willem VANDEVER (1657-1722) was among the early Dutch settlers who established a presence in the Cape Colony of South Africa.

Another prominent individual bearing the VANDEVER surname was Adriaan VANDEVER (1785-1862), a Dutch military officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars. His bravery and strategic skills earned him several distinguished honors and commendations.

Over time, the VANDEVER name has spread to various parts of the world, often due to migration and exploration. While its origins can be traced back to the Netherlands, the surname has taken root in numerous countries and cultures, each with its own unique interpretations and adaptations.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Vandever

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

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 Vandever was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 76.90% 899
Non-Hispanic Black Only 2.40% 28
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 16.68% 195
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races (S)% (S)
Hispanic Origin 2.74% 32

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 Vandever has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 76.90% 79.29% -3.06%
Black 2.40% 2.15% 10.99%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 16.68% 15.92% 4.66%
Two or More Races (S)% 1.32% (S)%
Hispanic 2.74% (S)% (S)%

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 Vandever was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Vandever last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on October 10, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/vandever-surname-popularity/.

"Vandever last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/vandever-surname-popularity/. Accessed 10 October, 2024

Vandever last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/vandever-surname-popularity/.

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