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

VanFossen, 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 VanFossen surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of VanFossen in America

VanFossen is the 14030th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The VanFossen surname appeared 2,147 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 VanFossen.

We can also compare 2010 data for VanFossen 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 VanFossen

The surname VANFOSSEN originated in the Netherlands during the 16th century. It is derived from the Dutch words "van" meaning "from" and "fossen" meaning "ditch" or "trench," suggesting that the name may have referred to someone who lived near a ditch or trench. Alternatively, it could have originated from a place name containing the word "fossen."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Dutch Reformed Church records of Leiden, where a Dirck Jansz VanFossen was mentioned in 1592. The name was also present in the records of the Dutch East India Company, with a Pieter VanFossen serving as a sailor in the 17th century.

As the Dutch colonized parts of North America, the VANFOSSEN name made its way to the New World. In 1663, a Hendrick VanFossen was recorded as residing in New Netherland, which later became part of New York. The spelling of the name varied in early American records, with variations such as VanFossen, VanFossen, and VanFossen appearing.

Notable individuals with the VANFOSSEN surname include:

1. Hendrick VanFossen (c. 1640-1720), one of the earliest settlers of the VANFOSSEN name in New Netherland.
2. John VanFossen (1776-1858), an American pioneer and early settler in Ohio.
3. Cyrus VanFossen (1828-1904), a Union Army soldier during the American Civil War and later a prominent farmer in Illinois.
4. Sarah VanFossen (1858-1942), an American teacher and author of children's books.
5. Frank VanFossen (1892-1971), an American baseball player who played for the Chicago White Sox in the early 20th century.

While the VANFOSSEN name has its roots in the Netherlands, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly through Dutch migration and settlement in North America.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name VanFossen

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

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

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

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