2000
#136,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Vanhoudt
A surname derived from a Flemish phrase meaning "of the woods".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 140 Americans carry the last name Vanhoudt. That puts it at #140,525 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,448,245 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vanhoudt 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
140
1 in 2,448,245
Census rank
#140,525
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
122
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 122 bearers of the surname Vanhoudt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 140525th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanhoudt, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vanhoudt
The surname VANHOUDT is of Dutch origin, originating in the Netherlands during the medieval period. It is derived from the Dutch words "van" meaning "from" and "hout" meaning "wood." The name likely referred to someone who lived near or worked with wood, such as a forester, woodcutter, or carpenter.
VANHOUDT is a toponymic surname, indicating that it was originally a locational name referring to a specific place. Some possible areas where the name may have originated include regions with large forests or woodlands, such as parts of the provinces of Gelderland, Noord-Brabant, or Limburg.
The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 15th and 16th centuries. For example, a record from 1492 mentions a Jacob Vanhoudt residing in the town of Breda, located in the southern Netherlands. Another early reference is found in a 1521 manuscript from the city of Zwolle, which lists a merchant named Hendrik Vanhoudt among its citizens.
In terms of historical figures bearing the VANHOUDT surname, one notable individual was Johannes Vanhoudt (1542-1609), a Dutch Catholic priest and theologian who served as a canon of the Cathedral of St. Bavo in Ghent. Another person of note was Willem Vanhoudt (1675-1720), a Dutch painter and engraver known for his depictions of landscapes and seascapes.
Other individuals with the VANHOUDT surname include Pieter Vanhoudt (1767-1837), a Flemish sculptor who created works for churches and public buildings in Belgium, and Johanna Vanhoudt (1875-1952), a Dutch writer and feminist activist who advocated for women's rights and education.
A more recent historical figure was Hendrik Vanhoudt (1901-1984), a Belgian politician who served as the Mayor of Antwerp from 1947 to 1976, leading the city during the post-World War II reconstruction period.
While the VANHOUDT name has Dutch origins, it has also spread to other countries over time due to migration and intermarriage. However, the majority of historical records and notable individuals associated with this surname can be traced back to the Netherlands and neighboring regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vanhoudt
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanhoudt, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Vanhoudt 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 Vanhoudt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.9% · 117
- Two or more races3.3% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vanhoudt
Vanhoudt 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
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+3 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,366 places
2020
#140,525
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
+6 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,624 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #136,783 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 6,366 places |
| 2020 | #140,525 | 122 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.2%) | Up 2,624 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 Vanhoudt 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 | #143,149 | #140,525 | 1.8% |
| Count | 116 | 122 | 5.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 2.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vanhoudt bearers went from 116 to 122 (+5.2% change). The surname moved up 2,624 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #140,525.
FAQ
Vanhoudt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vanhoudt?
Name Census estimates that about 140 living Americans carry the surname Vanhoudt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,448,245 residents.
How common is Vanhoudt?
Vanhoudt ranks #140,525 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 122 people with the surname Vanhoudt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (140), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Vanhoudt.
Has Vanhoudt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vanhoudt went from 116 recorded bearers to 122. That is an increase of 6 (+5.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #143,149 to #140,525.
What does the Census say about the background of Vanhoudt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanhoudt, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (0.8%). 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 Vanhoudt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.9% (117 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vanhoudt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.9%), Two or More Races (3.3%), Hispanic (0.8%). 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 Vanhoudt (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 Vanhoudt mean?
A surname derived from a Flemish phrase meaning "of the woods". 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 Vanhoudt (0.04 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 common is the surname Vanhoudt?
Find out how many people have the last name Vanhoudt on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.