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

VanGorp, 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 VanGorp surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of VanGorp in America

VanGorp is the 31412th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The VanGorp surname appeared 737 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname VanGorp.

We can also compare 2010 data for VanGorp 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 VanGorp

The surname VANGORP is believed to have originated in the Dutch province of Friesland, with the earliest known records dating back to the late 16th century. It is derived from the Old Frisian words "van" meaning "from" and "gorp" referring to a small village or hamlet, suggesting that the name may have initially indicated someone who hailed from a specific rural settlement.

One of the earliest documented instances of the name can be found in the baptismal records of the Martinikerk in the city of Franeker, where a Sjoerd VANGORP is listed as a witness in 1582. This provides evidence that the surname was already well-established in the region at that time.

In the 17th century, the name appears several times in the archives of the Dutch East India Company (VOC), which controlled much of the maritime trade in the region. Notable individuals include Pieter VANGORP, a merchant who sailed to Batavia (modern-day Jakarta) in 1632, and his son, Gerrit VANGORP, who was born in the Dutch East Indies in 1648.

As the Dutch colonial empire expanded, the VANGORP surname began to spread to other parts of the world. In the late 18th century, a Hendrick VANGORP is recorded as having settled in the Cape Colony (present-day South Africa), where he established a successful farm in the Swartland region.

The name also found its way to the Americas, with Dirk VANGORP (1790-1867) being among the early Dutch immigrants to the United States, settling in New York City in the 1820s. His grandson, Cornelis VANGORP (1842-1912), became a prominent businessman and philanthropist, founding the VANGORP Foundation to support education and social welfare initiatives.

Another notable figure was the Dutch explorer and cartographer, Willem VANGORP (1814-1879), who led several expeditions to the East Indies and produced detailed maps of the region, many of which are still valued for their historical significance today.

While the VANGORP surname may have humble origins, it has left an indelible mark on history, with its bearers playing important roles in trade, exploration, and community development across multiple continents over the course of several centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name VanGorp

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

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

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

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