2000
#13,240
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.78
Rare Last name
Vanfossen
Derived from the Dutch surname "Van Vossen," meaning "from Vossen," likely referring to a place of origin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,397 Americans carry the last name Vanfossen. That puts it at #13,851 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 142,993 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vanfossen 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
2.4K
1 in 142,993
Census rank
#13,851
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,090 bearers of the surname Vanfossen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13851st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanfossen, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vanfossen
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanfossen, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Vanfossen 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 Vanfossen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.6% · 1,956
- Two or more races3.1% · 64
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 49
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 12
- Black or African American0.3% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vanfossen
Vanfossen 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
#14,030
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,147
+33 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Down 790 places
2020
#13,851
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,090
-57 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Up 179 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,240 | 2,114 | 0.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,030 | 2,147 | 0.73 | +33 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 790 places |
| 2020 | #13,851 | 2,090 | 0.70 | -57 bearers (-2.7%) | Up 179 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 Vanfossen 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 | #14,030 | #13,851 | 1.3% |
| Count | 2,147 | 2,090 | -2.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.73 | 0.70 | -4.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vanfossen bearers went from 2,147 to 2,090 (-2.7% change). The surname moved up 179 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,030 to #13,851.
FAQ
Vanfossen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vanfossen?
Name Census estimates that about 2,397 living Americans carry the surname Vanfossen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 142,993 residents.
How common is Vanfossen?
Vanfossen ranks #13,851 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.70 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,090 people with the surname Vanfossen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,397), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.70 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Vanfossen.
Has Vanfossen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vanfossen went from 2,147 recorded bearers to 2,090. That is a decrease of 57 (-2.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,030 to #13,851.
What does the Census say about the background of Vanfossen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanfossen, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Vanfossen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (1,956 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vanfossen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.6%), Two or More Races (3.1%), Hispanic (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 Vanfossen (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 Vanfossen mean?
Derived from the Dutch surname "Van Vossen," meaning "from Vossen," likely referring to a place of origin. 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 Vanfossen (0.70 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 are called Vanfossen?
See how many people have the last name Vanfossen on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.