2000
#103,193
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 161
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Vandross
A Dutch surname possibly derived from the surname "van der Osse" meaning "from the ox".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 198 Americans carry the last name Vandross. That puts it at #108,965 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,731,083 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vandross 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
198
1 in 1,731,083
Census rank
#108,965
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
173
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 173 bearers of the surname Vandross in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 108965th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vandross, the largest self-reported group is Black at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.8%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vandross
The surname VANDROSS has its origins in the Netherlands, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Dutch words "van der" meaning "from the" and "dros" referring to a marshy or swampy area. This suggests that the name may have originally been associated with families or individuals living in or near wetlands or marshes.
One of the earliest known references to the name VANDROSS can be found in a Dutch census record from the city of Amsterdam in 1582, where a family by the name of Vandross is listed as residing in the city's northern district. It is possible that this family had migrated from rural areas to the city, bringing their surname with them.
In the mid-17th century, the name VANDROSS appeared in several historical documents related to the Dutch East India Company, indicating that individuals bearing this surname may have been involved in the company's maritime trade and exploration activities. One notable figure from this period was Jan Vandross, a merchant and ship captain who made several voyages to the East Indies between 1652 and 1668.
As the Dutch established colonies and settlements in various parts of the world, the surname VANDROSS likely spread along with them. In the late 18th century, records show a family named Vandross residing in the Dutch colony of Suriname in South America. This suggests that the name had traveled across the Atlantic, potentially carried by settlers or traders.
In the 19th century, the VANDROSS surname began to appear in various parts of Europe and North America, likely due to migration and immigration patterns. One prominent individual bearing this name was William Vandross, an English businessman and industrialist who lived from 1810 to 1892. He was involved in the textile industry and played a significant role in the development of factories in the northern cities of England.
Another notable figure was Hendrick Vandross, a Dutch-American artist and painter who lived from 1835 to 1912. He gained recognition for his landscape paintings depicting scenes from the American West, where he spent several years living and working among Native American communities.
In the 20th century, the VANDROSS surname gained broader recognition with the success of American singer and musician Luther Vandross, who was born in 1951 and passed away in 2005. Although not of Dutch descent, his unique stage name may have been inspired by the historical origins of the surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vandross
Among Census respondents with the surname Vandross, the largest self-reported group is Black at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.8%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Vandross 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 Vandross surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American86.7% · 150
- Hispanic or Latino9.8% · 17
- Two or more races2.3% · 4
- White1.2% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vandross
Vandross 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
#98,982
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 183
+22 bearers (+13.7%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Up 4,211 places
2020
#108,965
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 173
-10 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 9,983 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #103,193 | 161 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #98,982 | 183 | 0.06 | +22 bearers (+13.7%) | Up 4,211 places |
| 2020 | #108,965 | 173 | 0.06 | -10 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 9,983 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 Vandross 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 | #98,982 | #108,965 | -10.1% |
| Count | 183 | 173 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.06 | -3.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vandross bearers went from 183 to 173 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 9,983 positions in the national ranking, going from #98,982 to #108,965.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Vandross
FAQ
Vandross surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vandross?
Name Census estimates that about 198 living Americans carry the surname Vandross. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,731,083 residents.
How common is Vandross?
Vandross ranks #108,965 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 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 173 people with the surname Vandross. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (198), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 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 Vandross.
Has Vandross become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vandross went from 183 recorded bearers to 173. That is a decrease of 10 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #98,982 to #108,965.
What does the Census say about the background of Vandross?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vandross, the largest self-reported group is Black at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.8%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Vandross in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.7% (150 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vandross appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (86.7%), Hispanic (9.8%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Vandross (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 Vandross mean?
A Dutch surname possibly derived from the surname "van der Osse" meaning "from the ox". 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 Vandross (0.06 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 Vandross?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.