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

van Dijk, 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 van Dijk surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of van Dijk in America

van Dijk is the 58182nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The van Dijk surname appeared 349 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 van Dijk.

We can also compare 2010 data for van Dijk 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 van Dijk

The surname VANDIJK originated in the Netherlands, specifically in the western region of the country. It is a locational surname, meaning it derived from a geographic location or place name. The name can be traced back to the 16th century, and it is believed to be derived from the Dutch words "van" meaning "from" and "dijk" meaning "dike" or "embankment."

VANDIJK was likely given to individuals who lived near or worked on the dikes or embankments that were crucial for controlling water levels and preventing flooding in the low-lying areas of the Netherlands. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in Dutch municipal records and church registers from the late 16th and early 17th centuries.

One notable historical reference to the name VANDIJK can be found in the writings of the Dutch philosopher and mathematician René Descartes, who mentioned a mathematician named Johan van Dijk in his correspondence from the 1630s. Another early example is Pieter van Dijk, a Dutch Golden Age painter born in 1640 and known for his landscape paintings.

In the 18th century, a prominent figure with the surname VANDIJK was Adriaen van Dijk, a Dutch naval officer and explorer who led several expeditions to the East Indies and mapped parts of the Indonesian archipelago in the 1730s and 1740s. Another notable individual was Jan van Dijk, a Dutch military engineer and fortification expert who served in the Dutch East Indies and designed several forts and fortifications in the late 18th century.

Moving into the 19th century, one of the most famous individuals with the surname VANDIJK was Jacob van Dijk, a Dutch philologist and linguist born in 1810. He made significant contributions to the study of the Dutch language and its dialects, and his work was widely influential in the field of linguistics.

Another prominent figure was Hendrik van Dijk, a Dutch painter and sculptor born in 1853. He was known for his realistic depictions of rural life and landscapes, and his works are held in several major museums in the Netherlands.

Throughout history, the surname VANDIJK has been found with various spellings, including Van Dijk, Van Dyck, and Van Dyke, reflecting regional variations and changes in orthography over time. While the name has its roots in the Netherlands, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and adoption.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name van Dijk

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

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

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

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