2000
#14,134
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,953
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.72
Rare Last name
Vangilder
An occupational surname for a gilder, someone who applies gold leaf or paint to objects or surfaces.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,057 Americans carry the last name Vangilder. That puts it at #15,671 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 166,628 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vangilder 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
2.1K
1 in 166,628
Census rank
#15,671
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,794 bearers of the surname Vangilder in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15671st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vangilder, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vangilder
The surname VANGILDER is of Dutch origin, with the earliest records dating back to the late 16th century in the Netherlands. It is believed to have originated from a combination of the Dutch words "van" meaning "from" and "gilder" referring to a member of a guild or association.
In the early 17th century, many Dutch settlers migrated to the newly established Dutch colony of New Netherland, which encompassed parts of present-day New York, New Jersey, and Delaware. Records show that several individuals bearing the name VANGILDER were among these early colonists, likely hailing from areas such as Friesland or Groningen.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the surname VANGILDER can be found in a 1638 document from the Dutch West India Company, which governed the colony of New Netherland. The document lists a "Willem Jansen VANGILDER" as a resident of the settlement of Rensselaerswyck, now known as Albany, New York.
Another notable early bearer of the name was Johannes VANGILDER, born around 1650 in New Netherland. He was among the first settlers of what is now Monmouth County, New Jersey, and his descendants went on to establish themselves throughout the region.
As the Dutch influence in the colony waned and English rule took hold, the name underwent various spelling variations, such as VAN GILDER, VAN GILDOR, and VAN GUILDER, reflecting the challenges of transliterating Dutch names into English.
Among the notable individuals with the surname VANGILDER throughout history are:
1. Peter VANGILDER (1726-1798), an American soldier who fought in the Revolutionary War and was present at the famous crossing of the Delaware River with George Washington.
2. John VANGILDER (1791-1864), a prominent businessman and landowner in Ohio, who founded the town of Van Gilder (now known as Pandora) in Putnam County.
3. Marinus VANGILDER (1823-1901), a Dutch-American painter known for his landscapes and scenes depicting rural life in the Netherlands.
4. Amelia VANGILDER (1864-1942), an American educator and suffragist who campaigned for women's right to vote in the early 20th century.
5. Charles VANGILDER (1896-1978), a professional baseball player who spent several seasons in the Major Leagues, primarily with the Detroit Tigers and Chicago White Sox.
While the VANGILDER surname may have evolved over time, its Dutch roots and connection to the early Dutch settlers in North America remain a significant part of its historical legacy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vangilder
Among Census respondents with the surname Vangilder, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Vangilder 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 Vangilder surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.6% · 1,679
- Two or more races2.8% · 50
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 38
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 9
- Black or African American0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vangilder
Vangilder 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
#14,848
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,995
+42 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Down 714 places
2020
#15,671
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,794
-201 bearers (-10.1%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Down 823 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,134 | 1,953 | 0.72 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,848 | 1,995 | 0.68 | +42 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 714 places |
| 2020 | #15,671 | 1,794 | 0.60 | -201 bearers (-10.1%) | Down 823 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 Vangilder 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 | #14,848 | #15,671 | -5.5% |
| Count | 1,995 | 1,794 | -10.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.68 | 0.60 | -11.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vangilder bearers went from 1,995 to 1,794 (-10.1% change). The surname moved down 823 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,848 to #15,671.
FAQ
Vangilder surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vangilder?
Name Census estimates that about 2,057 living Americans carry the surname Vangilder. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 166,628 residents.
How common is Vangilder?
Vangilder ranks #15,671 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.60 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 1,794 people with the surname Vangilder. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,057), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.60 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 Vangilder.
Has Vangilder become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vangilder went from 1,995 recorded bearers to 1,794. That is a decrease of 201 (-10.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,848 to #15,671.
What does the Census say about the background of Vangilder?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vangilder, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Vangilder in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (1,679 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vangilder 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 (2.8%), Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Vangilder (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 Vangilder mean?
An occupational surname for a gilder, someone who applies gold leaf or paint to objects or surfaces. 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 Vangilder (0.60 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 Vangilder?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.