2000
#148,244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Vanlengen
Dutch surname meaning "from Lengenau" or "of Lengenau", possibly referring to a place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Vanlengen. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vanlengen 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Vanlengen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanlengen, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.9%) and Black (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vanlengen
The surname VANLENGEN is of Dutch origin, originating in the Netherlands during the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Dutch words "van" meaning "from" and "langen" meaning "long", referring to someone who was tall or came from a place with a long street or field.
The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the late 1500s in Amsterdam, where a family of merchants with the surname VANLENGEN resided. In 1602, a Pieter VANLENGEN was listed as a member of the Dutch East India Company, one of the earliest multinational corporations.
In the 17th century, the VANLENGEN name appeared in various records across the Netherlands, particularly in the provinces of North Holland and South Holland. A notable figure from this era was Jan VANLENGEN (1614-1672), a Dutch Golden Age painter known for his landscapes and seascapes.
As the Dutch established colonies and trading posts around the world, the VANLENGEN name spread to other regions. In the late 17th century, a branch of the family settled in the Dutch Cape Colony (present-day South Africa), where they became prominent landowners and farmers. One of the earliest recorded individuals in this lineage was Hendrik VANLENGEN (1650-1718), who owned a farm in the Cape Town area.
In the 18th century, the VANLENGEN name continued to be found in Dutch records, including those of the Dutch East Indies (present-day Indonesia). A notable individual from this period was Willem VANLENGEN (1733-1802), a Dutch East India Company official who served as the Governor of Malacca from 1788 to 1793.
As the centuries progressed, the VANLENGEN surname also made its way to other parts of the world due to migration and immigration. In the 19th century, a family with this name settled in the United States, where they established themselves in the Midwest. One of the earliest American individuals with this surname was Johannes VANLENGEN (1819-1892), a farmer in Illinois.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vanlengen
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanlengen, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.9%) and Black (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Vanlengen 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 Vanlengen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.9% · 92
- Two or more races9.9% · 11
- Black or African American3.6% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vanlengen
Vanlengen 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
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
+3 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,663 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+6 bearers (+5.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,242 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #148,244 | 102 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 6,663 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.7%) | Up 6,242 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 Vanlengen 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 | #154,907 | #148,665 | 4.0% |
| Count | 105 | 111 | 5.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vanlengen bearers went from 105 to 111 (+5.7% change). The surname moved up 6,242 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #148,665.
FAQ
Vanlengen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vanlengen?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Vanlengen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Vanlengen?
Vanlengen ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Vanlengen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Vanlengen.
Has Vanlengen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vanlengen went from 105 recorded bearers to 111. That is an increase of 6 (+5.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Vanlengen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanlengen, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.9%) and Black (3.6%). 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 Vanlengen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.9% (92 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vanlengen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.9%), Two or More Races (9.9%), Black (3.6%). 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 Vanlengen (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 Vanlengen mean?
Dutch surname meaning "from Lengenau" or "of Lengenau", possibly referring to a place 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 Vanlengen (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 Vanlengen?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.