2000
#13,641
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,040
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.76
Rare Last name
Vannatta
An Italian occupational surname referring to a winnower or a person who separates grain from the chaff.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,378 Americans carry the last name Vannatta. That puts it at #13,928 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 144,136 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vannatta 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
2.4K
1 in 144,136
Census rank
#13,928
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,074 bearers of the surname Vannatta in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13928th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vannatta, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vannatta
The surname Vannatta originated in the Netherlands and dates back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Dutch words "van" meaning "from" and "natte" meaning "wet" or "moist". This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who lived near a wetland or marshy area.
Historically, the name Vannatta can be traced back to the province of Gelderland in the Netherlands. In the 16th and 17th centuries, several variations of the spelling were found in Dutch records, such as Van Natte, Van Natta, and Vannatta.
One of the earliest known references to the name Vannatta can be found in the baptismal records of the Dutch Reformed Church in Nijmegen, Gelderland, dated 1592. This record mentions a Pieter Vannatta, who is believed to be one of the earliest known bearers of the name.
In the 17th century, the name Vannatta began to appear in various parts of the Netherlands, as well as in the Dutch settlements in North America. One notable individual was Adriaen Gerritsen Vannatta, who was born in the village of Weesp, near Amsterdam, in 1620. He later emigrated to New Amsterdam (present-day New York) in 1654.
During the 18th century, the Vannatta family spread across the United States, with many settling in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York. One prominent figure from this era was John Vannatta, who was born in 1745 in Monmouth County, New Jersey. He served as a soldier in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.
In the 19th century, the Vannatta name continued to be found throughout the United States. One notable individual was William Vannatta, who was born in 1821 in Ohio. He became a successful businessman and served as a member of the Ohio State Senate from 1868 to 1871.
Another individual of note was John W. Vannatta, who was born in 1843 in Kentucky. He served as a Union soldier during the American Civil War and later became a prominent lawyer and politician in Arkansas, serving as a member of the Arkansas House of Representatives.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vannatta
Among Census respondents with the surname Vannatta, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Vannatta 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 Vannatta surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 1,898
- Two or more races4.0% · 82
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 45
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.1% · 44
- Black or African American0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vannatta
Vannatta 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
#14,030
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,147
+107 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Down 389 places
2020
#13,928
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,074
-73 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Up 102 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,641 | 2,040 | 0.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,030 | 2,147 | 0.73 | +107 bearers (+5.2%) | Down 389 places |
| 2020 | #13,928 | 2,074 | 0.69 | -73 bearers (-3.4%) | Up 102 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 Vannatta 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 | #14,030 | #13,928 | 0.7% |
| Count | 2,147 | 2,074 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.73 | 0.69 | -4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vannatta bearers went from 2,147 to 2,074 (-3.4% change). The surname moved up 102 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,030 to #13,928.
FAQ
Vannatta surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vannatta?
Name Census estimates that about 2,378 living Americans carry the surname Vannatta. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 144,136 residents.
How common is Vannatta?
Vannatta ranks #13,928 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,074 people with the surname Vannatta. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,378), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.69 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Vannatta.
Has Vannatta become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vannatta went from 2,147 recorded bearers to 2,074. That is a decrease of 73 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,030 to #13,928.
What does the Census say about the background of Vannatta?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vannatta, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Vannatta in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (1,898 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vannatta appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Two or More Races (4.0%), Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Vannatta (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 Vannatta mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to a winnower or a person who separates grain from the chaff. 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 Vannatta (0.69 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 last name Vannatta?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Vannatta, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.