2000
#83,618
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 209
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.08
Very Rare Last name
Vanlangen
A Dutch surname translating to "the long one" or "from the long place".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 222 Americans carry the last name Vanlangen. That puts it at #99,694 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,543,938 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vanlangen 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
222
1 in 1,543,938
Census rank
#99,694
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
194
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 194 bearers of the surname Vanlangen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 99694th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanlangen, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vanlangen
The surname Vanlangen has its origins in the Netherlands, dating back to the 16th century. It is a locational name derived from the Dutch phrase "van Langen," meaning "from Langen." Langen was a town located in the province of Overijssel, known for its linen production.
The earliest recorded use of the surname Vanlangen can be found in the Dutch provincial records of Overijssel from the year 1592, where a merchant named Gerrit Vanlangen is mentioned. In the 17th century, the name appears in the records of the Dutch East India Company, indicating that members of the Vanlangen family were involved in the lucrative spice trade.
One notable figure with the surname Vanlangen was Pieter Vanlangen, a Dutch painter born in 1666 in Amsterdam. He was known for his landscape paintings and still lifes, and his works can be found in various museums across the Netherlands.
Another historical figure bearing the Vanlangen name was Jan Vanlangen, a Dutch naval officer who served in the Dutch East Indies during the 18th century. He was instrumental in establishing Dutch control over parts of the Indonesian archipelago.
In the 19th century, the Vanlangen surname appears in the records of Dutch settlers in South Africa. One such individual was Cornelis Vanlangen, born in 1820, who was a farmer in the Cape Colony and played a role in the development of the region's agricultural industry.
The name Vanlangen can also be found in historical records from the United States, where Dutch immigrants settled in various parts of the country, particularly in New York and New Jersey. One notable American with this surname was James Vanlangen, born in 1856 in New York City, who became a successful businessman and philanthropist.
Throughout history, the surname Vanlangen has undergone various spelling variations, including Van Langen, Van Langhen, and Vanlanghen, reflecting the regional dialects and linguistic changes over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vanlangen
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanlangen, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Vanlangen 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 Vanlangen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.3% · 183
- Two or more races2.6% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 2
- Black or African American0.5% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino0.5% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vanlangen
Vanlangen 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
#87,335
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 213
+4 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 3,717 places
2020
#99,694
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 194
-19 bearers (-8.9%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 12,359 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #83,618 | 209 | 0.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #87,335 | 213 | 0.07 | +4 bearers (+1.9%) | Down 3,717 places |
| 2020 | #99,694 | 194 | 0.06 | -19 bearers (-8.9%) | Down 12,359 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 Vanlangen 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 | #87,335 | #99,694 | -14.2% |
| Count | 213 | 194 | -8.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.06 | -7.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vanlangen bearers went from 213 to 194 (-8.9% change). The surname moved down 12,359 positions in the national ranking, going from #87,335 to #99,694.
FAQ
Vanlangen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vanlangen?
Name Census estimates that about 222 living Americans carry the surname Vanlangen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,543,938 residents.
How common is Vanlangen?
Vanlangen ranks #99,694 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 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 194 people with the surname Vanlangen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (222), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 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 Vanlangen.
Has Vanlangen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vanlangen went from 213 recorded bearers to 194. That is a decrease of 19 (-8.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #87,335 to #99,694.
What does the Census say about the background of Vanlangen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanlangen, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Vanlangen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.3% (183 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vanlangen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.3%), Two or More Races (2.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Vanlangen (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 Vanlangen mean?
A Dutch surname translating to "the long one" or "from the long place". 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 Vanlangen (0.06 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 Vanlangen?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.