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

Vanhecke, 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 Vanhecke surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Vanhecke in America

Vanhecke is the 40313th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Vanhecke surname appeared 543 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 Vanhecke.

We can also compare 2010 data for Vanhecke 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 Vanhecke

The surname VANHECKE has its origins in Belgium and dates back to the 12th century. It is a locational name derived from the Flemish words "van" meaning "from" and "hecke" meaning "hedgerow" or "fence." This suggests that the name was likely given to someone who lived near a prominent hedgerow or fence in a particular town or village.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in a document from the town of Ghent, dated 1265, which mentions a person named "Johannes van der Hecke." This spelling variation, using the definite article "der" instead of "de," was common in early Dutch and Flemish surnames.

In the 14th century, the name appears in various records from the Duchy of Brabant, such as the "Codex Diplomaticus Brabantiae" which mentions a "Willelmus van Hecke" in 1338. This indicates that the name was well-established in the region by that time.

Notable individuals with the surname VANHECKE include:

1. Pieter VANHECKE (1517-1584), a Flemish painter known for his religious works and portraits.
2. Jan VANHECKE (1640-1720), a Dutch engraver and publisher renowned for his intricate maps and illustrations.
3. Marie VANHECKE (1786-1853), a Belgian educator and advocate for women's education, who established several schools in Brussels.
4. Gustave VANHECKE (1889-1962), a Belgian architect responsible for designing numerous public buildings and residences in Brussels and Antwerp.
5. Ingrid VANHECKE (born 1972), a contemporary Belgian novelist and poet, whose works explore themes of identity, memory, and the human condition.

The name VANHECKE has also been associated with various place names, such as the hamlet of Vanhecke near Kortrijk, Belgium, and the Vanhecke Farm in Zeeland, Netherlands, both of which likely derived their names from early settlers with the VANHECKE surname.

Throughout its history, the name VANHECKE has undergone various spelling variations, including Van Hecke, Van der Hecke, Vanheck, and Vanheck, reflecting the linguistic and regional diversity of the Low Countries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Vanhecke

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

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

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