2000
#124,872
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Vaninwegen
From a locality called Wegen or Vegen.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Vaninwegen. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vaninwegen 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Vaninwegen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vaninwegen, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vaninwegen
The surname VANINWEGEN originated in the Netherlands during the 16th century. It is derived from the Dutch phrase "van in wegen," which translates to "from the roads" or "from the paths." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived near a significant road or pathway.
The earliest recorded instances of the VANINWEGEN surname can be found in Dutch census records and church registers from the late 1500s and early 1600s. Many of these early records are from the provinces of Noord-Holland and Zuid-Holland, indicating that the name may have originated in or around these regions.
One notable individual with the VANINWEGEN surname was Pieter van Inwegen (1596-1674), a Dutch Golden Age painter known for his still-life and landscape paintings. His works can be found in various museums across the Netherlands and Europe.
Another prominent figure was Jacob van Inwegen (1678-1744), a Dutch merchant and shipping magnate who established successful trading routes between the Netherlands and the East Indies. He was instrumental in the growth of the Dutch East India Company during the early 18th century.
In the 19th century, Johannes van Inwegen (1811-1885) was a renowned Dutch architect who designed several notable buildings in Amsterdam, including the Paleis voor Volksvlijt, a grand exhibition hall that was tragically destroyed by fire in 1929.
The VANINWEGEN surname also made its way across the Atlantic, with records showing individuals bearing this name among early Dutch settlers in New Amsterdam (present-day New York) in the mid-17th century. One such individual was Dirck van Inwegen (1625-1701), a farmer and landowner who was among the first Dutch settlers in what is now Brooklyn.
Another notable figure was Gerrit van Inwegen (1743-1817), a Dutch-American merchant and politician who served as a member of the New York State Assembly during the late 18th century, representing Kings County (now Brooklyn).
While the VANINWEGEN surname is not among the most common Dutch surnames, it has a rich history dating back to the 16th century and has been associated with individuals who made significant contributions in various fields, from art and architecture to business and politics.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vaninwegen
Among Census respondents with the surname Vaninwegen, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Vaninwegen 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 Vaninwegen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.7% · 105
- Hispanic or Latino6.0% · 7
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vaninwegen
Vaninwegen 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
#129,047
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 132
+5 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,175 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-15 bearers (-11.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,223 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,872 | 127 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #129,047 | 132 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+3.9%) | Down 4,175 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | -15 bearers (-11.4%) | Down 15,223 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 Vaninwegen 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 | #129,047 | #144,270 | -11.8% |
| Count | 132 | 117 | -11.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vaninwegen bearers went from 132 to 117 (-11.4% change). The surname moved down 15,223 positions in the national ranking, going from #129,047 to #144,270.
FAQ
Vaninwegen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vaninwegen?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Vaninwegen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Vaninwegen?
Vaninwegen ranks #144,270 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 117 people with the surname Vaninwegen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), 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 Vaninwegen.
Has Vaninwegen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vaninwegen went from 132 recorded bearers to 117. That is a decrease of 15 (-11.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #129,047 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Vaninwegen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vaninwegen, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Vaninwegen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vaninwegen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.7%), Hispanic (6.0%), Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Vaninwegen (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 Vaninwegen mean?
From a locality called Wegen or Vegen. 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 Vaninwegen (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 share the surname Vaninwegen?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.