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

VanFleet, 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 VanFleet surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of VanFleet in America

VanFleet is the 12670th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The VanFleet surname appeared 2,439 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname VanFleet.

We can also compare 2010 data for VanFleet 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 VanFleet

The surname VANFLEET originated in the Netherlands during the 16th century. It is derived from the Dutch words "van" meaning "from" and "vleet" meaning "stream" or "creek". The name was likely given to someone who lived near a small stream or creek.

One of the earliest recorded spellings of the name is Vanvliet, which appears in Dutch records from the town of Delft in the year 1567. The spelling variation Vanfleet began appearing in English records during the 17th century as Dutch immigrants settled in North America.

In the Domesday Book, a medieval census commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, there are no records of the surname VANFLEET or its variations. This suggests that the name did not originate in England but rather came to the region later through Dutch settlers.

Notable individuals with the surname VANFLEET throughout history include:

1. Jan Vanvliet (1610-1668), a Dutch Golden Age painter known for his still life paintings of flowers and fruit.

2. Samuel VanFleet (1785-1865), an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative from New York.

3. William VanFleet (1839-1923), a Union Army soldier during the American Civil War who received the Medal of Honor for his actions at the Battle of Opequon Creek.

4. James VanFleet (1892-1976), an American lawyer and jurist who served as a judge on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma.

5. Josiah VanFleet (1768-1842), an early settler in Upper Canada (now Ontario) who served as a lieutenant in the British militia during the War of 1812.

The surname VANFLEET and its variations can also be found in other place names and locations, such as Van Vleet Road in West Seneca, New York, and Van Vliet Township in Montcalm County, Michigan.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name VanFleet

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of VanFleet, 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!