2000
#144,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Vankammen
A Dutch surname derived from the place name Kammen, meaning "from Kammen".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Vankammen. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vankammen 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Vankammen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vankammen, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Black (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vankammen
The surname VANKAMMEN is believed to have originated in the Netherlands, specifically in the region of Kammen, a small village located in the eastern part of the country. The name likely dates back to the 15th or 16th century, during the height of the Dutch Renaissance.
VANKAMMEN is thought to be derived from the Dutch words "van" meaning "from" and "Kammen," the name of the aforementioned village. This naming convention was common in that era, where surnames were often derived from the place of origin or residence of a particular family or individual.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name VANKAMMEN can be found in the archives of the city of Amsterdam, where a merchant named Pieter VANKAMMEN is mentioned in a trade document dated 1573. It is possible that Pieter or his ancestors hailed from the village of Kammen and adopted the surname to reflect their place of origin.
In the late 17th century, a notable figure named Johannes VANKAMMEN (1642-1721) gained prominence as a skilled clockmaker and inventor in the city of Delft. His intricate timepieces were highly sought after by the Dutch nobility and aristocracy of the time.
During the Dutch Golden Age, a family of artists bearing the name VANKAMMEN gained recognition for their exceptional painting skills. The most renowned among them was Gerrit VANKAMMEN (1612-1679), whose masterful landscape paintings captured the beauty of the Dutch countryside and were widely admired throughout Europe.
As the Dutch empire expanded its global reach, the name VANKAMMEN began to spread beyond the borders of the Netherlands. In the early 18th century, a Dutch settler named Willem VANKAMMEN (1685-1756) established a successful trading company in the Dutch East Indies (modern-day Indonesia), where his descendants continued to carry on the family name.
Another notable figure was Anna VANKAMMEN (1789-1862), a prominent writer and feminist advocate who campaigned for women's rights and education during the early 19th century in the Netherlands. Her influential works and speeches played a pivotal role in the Dutch feminist movement of that era.
While the surname VANKAMMEN may have originated from a small village, it has since become a part of the rich tapestry of Dutch history and culture, carried by individuals who have made significant contributions in various fields over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vankammen
Among Census respondents with the surname Vankammen, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Black (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Vankammen 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 Vankammen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.3% · 95
- Two or more races3.8% · 4
- Black or African American2.9% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vankammen
Vankammen 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
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-1 bearers (-1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,136 places
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 2,454 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #144,908 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-1.0%) | Down 11,136 places |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Up 2,454 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 Vankammen 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 | #156,044 | #153,590 | 1.6% |
| Count | 104 | 104 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vankammen bearers went from 104 to 104 (+0.0% change). The surname moved up 2,454 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #153,590.
FAQ
Vankammen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vankammen?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Vankammen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Vankammen?
Vankammen ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 104 people with the surname Vankammen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Vankammen.
Has Vankammen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vankammen went from 104 recorded bearers to 104. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Vankammen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vankammen, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Black (2.9%). 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 Vankammen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vankammen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.3%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Black (2.9%). 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 Vankammen (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 Vankammen mean?
A Dutch surname derived from the place name Kammen, meaning "from Kammen". 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 Vankammen (0.03 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 Vankammen?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.