2000
#40,019
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 516
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.19
Very Rare Last name
Vandivier
Of French origin, meaning "of the ford" or "from the ford."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 643 Americans carry the last name Vandivier. That puts it at #41,765 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.19 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 533,055 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vandivier 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
643
1 in 533,055
Census rank
#41,765
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
561
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 561 bearers of the surname Vandivier in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.19 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 41765th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vandivier, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Black (7.0%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vandivier
The surname VANDIVIER originated in the Netherlands during the late 16th century. It is derived from the Dutch words "van de vere," which translate to "from the ferry." This suggests that the name's earliest bearers may have lived near a ferry crossing or worked as ferrymen.
One of the earliest records of the VANDIVIER name appears in a 1597 church registry from the town of Leiden, where a Jan Vandivier is listed as a witness at a baptism. Variations of the spelling, such as "Van de Viere" and "Van de Vier," can be found in Dutch documents from the 17th and 18th centuries.
As the Netherlands underwent a period of economic prosperity and colonial expansion in the 17th century, some VANDIVIERs likely emigrated to Dutch colonies in the East Indies and the Caribbean. The name may have also spread to neighboring regions like Germany and Belgium during this time.
In the 19th century, the VANDIVIER surname began appearing in records from the United States, likely due to immigration from the Netherlands and surrounding areas. One notable American bearer of the name was William VANDIVIER (1809-1838), a lawyer and politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Maryland.
Other historical figures with the VANDIVIER surname include:
1. Dirk VANDIVIER (1628-1701), a Dutch merchant and landowner in New Amsterdam (present-day New York City).
2. Johannes VANDIVIER (1755-1832), a German-born soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War.
3. Elizabeth VANDIVIER (1820-1891), an American pioneer and one of the first settlers in the Oregon Territory.
4. Henri VANDIVIER (1861-1949), a French mathematician known for his work in number theory.
5. Edith VANDIVIER (1901-1987), an American painter and printmaker associated with the Regionalist art movement.
While the VANDIVIER name has Dutch origins, it has since spread across various countries and cultures, with bearers making notable contributions in fields ranging from politics and business to art and academia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vandivier
Among Census respondents with the surname Vandivier, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Black (7.0%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Vandivier 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 Vandivier surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.0% · 488
- Black or African American7.0% · 39
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 14
- Two or more races2.3% · 13
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vandivier
Vandivier 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
#39,555
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 556
+40 bearers (+7.8%)
Per 100,000 0.19
Rank movement Up 464 places
2020
#41,765
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 561
+5 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.19
Rank movement Down 2,210 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #40,019 | 516 | 0.19 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #39,555 | 556 | 0.19 | +40 bearers (+7.8%) | Up 464 places |
| 2020 | #41,765 | 561 | 0.19 | +5 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 2,210 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 Vandivier 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 | #39,555 | #41,765 | -5.6% |
| Count | 556 | 561 | 0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.19 | 0.19 | -1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vandivier bearers went from 556 to 561 (+0.9% change). The surname moved down 2,210 positions in the national ranking, going from #39,555 to #41,765.
FAQ
Vandivier surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vandivier?
Name Census estimates that about 643 living Americans carry the surname Vandivier. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 533,055 residents.
How common is Vandivier?
Vandivier ranks #41,765 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.19 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 561 people with the surname Vandivier. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (643), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.19 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.19 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 Vandivier.
Has Vandivier become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vandivier went from 556 recorded bearers to 561. That is an increase of 5 (+0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #39,555 to #41,765.
What does the Census say about the background of Vandivier?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vandivier, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Black (7.0%) and Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Vandivier in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.0% (488 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vandivier appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.0%), Black (7.0%), Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Vandivier (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 Vandivier mean?
Of French origin, meaning "of the ford" or "from the ford." 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 Vandivier (0.19 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 have the surname Vandivier?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.