2000
#147,095
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Vannaman
A surname derived from an old Dutch term referring to a ferryman or boatman.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 142 Americans carry the last name Vannaman. That puts it at #139,059 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,413,763 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vannaman 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
142
1 in 2,413,763
Census rank
#139,059
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
124
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 124 bearers of the surname Vannaman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 139059th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vannaman, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vannaman
The surname Vannaman is of Dutch origin, derived from the occupational term "van de man," which means "of the man" or "man." This name can be traced back to the 16th century in the Netherlands.
The earliest known recorded instances of the name Vannaman can be found in the Dutch province of Gelderland, particularly in the city of Nijmegen and its surrounding areas. The name was often spelled as "Van de Man" or "Vandemman" in its early forms.
In the 17th century, the Vannaman family began migrating to the American colonies, particularly to the Dutch settlements in New York and New Jersey. One of the earliest recorded Vannamans in America was Adriaen Hendrickse Vannaman, who arrived in New Amsterdam (present-day New York City) in 1664.
The Domesday Book, the great survey of England completed in 1086, does not contain any references to the surname Vannaman, as it is of Dutch origin and was not present in England at that time.
Notable individuals with the surname Vannaman throughout history include:
1. Hendrick Adriaensen Vannaman (c. 1640-1715), a Dutch settler in New Netherland, who established a farm in what is now Brooklyn, New York.
2. Cornelius Vannaman (1755-1833), an American Revolutionary War soldier from New Jersey.
3. John Vannaman (1808-1876), a farmer and politician from Ohio, who served as a member of the Ohio House of Representatives.
4. Albert Vannaman (1858-1938), an American businessman and politician from New Jersey, who served as a member of the New Jersey General Assembly.
5. Gertrude Vannaman (1884-1956), an American author and journalist known for her books on travel and adventure.
The surname Vannaman has also been associated with various place names in the Netherlands and the United States, such as Vannamans Mill in New Jersey, which was named after an early settler of the same name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vannaman
Among Census respondents with the surname Vannaman, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Vannaman 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 Vannaman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.2% · 118
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 5
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vannaman
Vannaman 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
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+13 bearers (+12.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,946 places
2020
#139,059
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
+8 bearers (+6.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,090 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #147,095 | 103 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | +13 bearers (+12.6%) | Up 3,946 places |
| 2020 | #139,059 | 124 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+6.9%) | Up 4,090 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 Vannaman 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 | #143,149 | #139,059 | 2.9% |
| Count | 116 | 124 | 6.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 3.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vannaman bearers went from 116 to 124 (+6.9% change). The surname moved up 4,090 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #139,059.
FAQ
Vannaman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vannaman?
Name Census estimates that about 142 living Americans carry the surname Vannaman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,413,763 residents.
How common is Vannaman?
Vannaman ranks #139,059 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 124 people with the surname Vannaman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (142), 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 Vannaman.
Has Vannaman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vannaman went from 116 recorded bearers to 124. That is an increase of 8 (+6.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #143,149 to #139,059.
What does the Census say about the background of Vannaman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vannaman, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (0.8%). 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 Vannaman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.2% (118 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vannaman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.2%), Hispanic (4.0%), Two or More Races (0.8%). 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 Vannaman (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 Vannaman mean?
A surname derived from an old Dutch term referring to a ferryman or boatman. 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 Vannaman (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 Vannaman?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.