2000
#134,037
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Vanhoute
A Dutch surname derived from the words "van" meaning "from" and "Houte," a location name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Vanhoute. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vanhoute 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Vanhoute in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanhoute, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vanhoute
The surname VANHOUTE originates from the Netherlands, specifically from the region of Zeeland, during the late medieval period around the 13th-14th centuries. It is believed to be derived from the Dutch words "van" meaning "from" and "houte" meaning "wood" or "forest," suggesting that the name was initially associated with individuals who lived near or worked in wooded areas.
Historical records indicate that variations of the name, such as "van Houte" and "van Hout," appeared in various documents from the region of Zeeland during the 14th and 15th centuries. One notable reference can be found in the "Oorkondenboek van Holland en Zeeland," a collection of charters and documents from the region, where the name "Jan van Houte" is mentioned in a document dated 1389.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname VANHOUTE can be traced back to the late 15th century. One of the earliest known individuals bearing this name was Willem VANHOUTE, born around 1470 in the town of Zierikzee, Zeeland. He was a renowned shipbuilder and is mentioned in local records for his contributions to the town's maritime industry.
In the 16th century, the name VANHOUTE gained prominence in the city of Middelburg, Zeeland, where several members of the family held positions of influence. Notable figures include Pieter VANHOUTE (1529-1601), a prominent merchant and alderman, and his son, Jacob VANHOUTE (1570-1638), who served as the mayor of Middelburg.
Over the centuries, the VANHOUTE surname spread across the Netherlands and beyond, with members of the family migrating to other parts of Europe and eventually to the Americas. One notable individual was Cornelis VANHOUTE (1787-1853), a Dutch explorer and naturalist who accompanied several expeditions to the Dutch East Indies (present-day Indonesia) in the early 19th century.
Other notable figures bearing the VANHOUTE name include Adriaan VANHOUTE (1842-1912), a renowned Dutch painter known for his landscapes and seascapes, and Johanna VANHOUTE (1875-1948), a pioneering feminist and activist who campaigned for women's rights in the Netherlands.
Throughout its history, the surname VANHOUTE has been associated with various professions, from shipbuilding and maritime trades to art, exploration, and political engagement, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and contributions of those who have carried this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vanhoute
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanhoute, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Vanhoute 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 Vanhoute surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.9% · 100
- Two or more races9.1% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vanhoute
Vanhoute 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
#140,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+3 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,120 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-9 bearers (-7.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,289 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,037 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #140,157 | 119 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.6%) | Down 6,120 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.6%) | Down 9,289 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 Vanhoute 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 | #140,157 | #149,446 | -6.6% |
| Count | 119 | 110 | -7.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vanhoute bearers went from 119 to 110 (-7.6% change). The surname moved down 9,289 positions in the national ranking, going from #140,157 to #149,446.
FAQ
Vanhoute surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vanhoute?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Vanhoute. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Vanhoute?
Vanhoute ranks #149,446 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 110 people with the surname Vanhoute. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), 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 Vanhoute.
Has Vanhoute become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vanhoute went from 119 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 9 (-7.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #140,157 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Vanhoute?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanhoute, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.1%). 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 Vanhoute in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.9% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vanhoute appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.9%), Two or More Races (9.1%). 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 Vanhoute (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 Vanhoute mean?
A Dutch surname derived from the words "van" meaning "from" and "Houte," a location name. 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 Vanhoute (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 many people have the surname Vanhoute?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.