2000
#136,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Vandewettering
A Dutch surname derived from a place name meaning "near the wetland or wet land".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Vandewettering. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vandewettering 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Vandewettering in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vandewettering, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vandewettering
The surname VANDEWETTERING is of Dutch origin, originating in the Netherlands during the medieval period. It is a geographical name, derived from the place name "de Wettering," which likely referred to a small village or settlement located near a wetland or marshy area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname VANDEWETTERING dates back to the 15th century, where it appears in a manuscript from the city of Leiden, Netherlands. This document mentions a certain Willem VANDEWETTERING, who was a merchant and landowner in the region.
Throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, the VANDEWETTERING name can be found in various Dutch records, including church registries, tax rolls, and legal documents. Some notable individuals bearing this surname during this time period include Jan VANDEWETTERING (1568-1632), a prominent lawyer and legal scholar in Amsterdam, and Adriaan VANDEWETTERING (1602-1677), a successful merchant and ship owner from Rotterdam.
As the Dutch established colonies and trading outposts around the world, the VANDEWETTERING name began to spread beyond the Netherlands. In the 18th century, there are records of a family bearing this surname settling in the Dutch East Indies (present-day Indonesia), where they became involved in the spice trade.
Another noteworthy individual with the VANDEWETTERING surname was Pieter VANDEWETTERING (1789-1864), a Dutch explorer and naturalist who made significant contributions to the study of flora and fauna in the Cape Colony (now South Africa) during the early 19th century.
In the 19th and early 20th centuries, the VANDEWETTERING name also appeared in various parts of Europe, particularly in Germany and Belgium, likely due to migration and intermarriage among Dutch and other European families.
Although not as common as some other Dutch surnames, the VANDEWETTERING name has persisted throughout the centuries, with individuals bearing this surname making contributions in various fields, including law, commerce, exploration, and academia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vandewettering
Among Census respondents with the surname Vandewettering, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Vandewettering 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 Vandewettering surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.4% · 107
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vandewettering
Vandewettering 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
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+5 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,357 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-7 bearers (-5.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,525 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #136,783 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 4,357 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-5.9%) | Down 7,525 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 Vandewettering 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 | #141,140 | #148,665 | -5.3% |
| Count | 118 | 111 | -5.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vandewettering bearers went from 118 to 111 (-5.9% change). The surname moved down 7,525 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #148,665.
FAQ
Vandewettering surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vandewettering?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Vandewettering. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Vandewettering?
Vandewettering ranks #148,665 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 111 people with the surname Vandewettering. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Vandewettering.
Has Vandewettering become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vandewettering went from 118 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 7 (-5.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Vandewettering?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vandewettering, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Vandewettering in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.4% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vandewettering appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.4%), Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Vandewettering (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 Vandewettering mean?
A Dutch surname derived from a place name meaning "near the wetland or wet land". 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 Vandewettering (0.04 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 are called Vandewettering?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Vandewettering on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.