2000
#107,038
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 154
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Vankleek
A habitational surname indicating origin from Vankleek, in the Netherlands.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Vankleek. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vankleek 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Vankleek in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vankleek, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vankleek
The surname VanKleeck or VanKleek originated in the Netherlands and is derived from the Dutch place name Kleek or Kleekerker. It is believed to have been a locational surname, meaning that the earliest bearers of the name were from the town or village of Kleek or Kleekerker.
The name first appeared in Dutch records in the 16th century, with one of the earliest known references being to a Jacob Janse van Kleeck, who was born around 1580 in Kleekerker, a village near Rotterdam.
In the early 17th century, several members of the Van Kleeck family immigrated to the Dutch colony of New Netherland, which later became part of New York state. Among the earliest settlers were Baltus Van Kleeck, who arrived in 1647, and his brother Juriaen Van Kleeck, who arrived in 1661.
The Van Kleeck family played a prominent role in the early history of the Hudson Valley region of New York. Baltus Van Kleeck was one of the first settlers of the town of Poughkeepsie, and his descendants held positions of influence in the local government and community for generations.
One notable member of the Van Kleeck family was Ruloff Van Kleeck (1677-1746), who served as a justice of the peace and a member of the provincial assembly of New York in the early 18th century.
Another prominent Van Kleeck was Isaac Van Kleeck (1757-1841), a Revolutionary War soldier who later became a wealthy landowner and businessman in Poughkeepsie. His son, Henry Van Kleeck (1789-1867), was a prominent lawyer and judge in New York state.
Over time, the spelling of the name evolved, with variations such as VanKleeck, VanKleek, and VanKleeck all appearing in historical records. Despite these variations, the name has remained distinctly Dutch in origin and is closely associated with the early Dutch settlement of the Hudson Valley region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vankleek
Among Census respondents with the surname Vankleek, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Vankleek 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 Vankleek surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 111
- Two or more races2.5% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vankleek
Vankleek 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
#130,610
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 130
-24 bearers (-15.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 23,572 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-11 bearers (-8.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,178 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #107,038 | 154 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #130,610 | 130 | 0.04 | -24 bearers (-15.6%) | Down 23,572 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-8.5%) | Down 12,178 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 Vankleek 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 | #130,610 | #142,788 | -9.3% |
| Count | 130 | 119 | -8.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vankleek bearers went from 130 to 119 (-8.5% change). The surname moved down 12,178 positions in the national ranking, going from #130,610 to #142,788.
FAQ
Vankleek surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vankleek?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Vankleek. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Vankleek?
Vankleek ranks #142,788 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 119 people with the surname Vankleek. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), 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 Vankleek.
Has Vankleek become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vankleek went from 130 recorded bearers to 119. That is a decrease of 11 (-8.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #130,610 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Vankleek?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vankleek, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and Hispanic (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 Vankleek in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (111 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vankleek appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Two or More Races (2.5%), Hispanic (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 Vankleek (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 Vankleek mean?
A habitational surname indicating origin from Vankleek, in the Netherlands. 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 Vankleek (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 Vankleek?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Vankleek on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.