2000
#7,631
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,015
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.49
Rare Last name
Vanness
Derived from the Dutch place name "Van Ness," indicating someone who lived near a headland or promontory.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,710 Americans carry the last name Vanness. That puts it at #7,759 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.37 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 72,772 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vanness 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
4.7K
1 in 72,772
Census rank
#7,759
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,107 bearers of the surname Vanness in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.37 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7759th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanness, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vanness
The surname VANNESS is of Dutch origin, tracing its roots back to the Netherlands in the 16th century. It is derived from the Dutch words "van" meaning "from" and "nes" meaning a promontory or headland. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a promontory or headland.
One of the earliest recorded examples of this surname can be found in the Dutch province of Friesland, where it appeared as "Van Nesse" in the 16th century. It is also believed to have been influenced by the place name "Nes" in the Netherlands.
In the 17th century, the spelling "VANNESS" became more prevalent as Dutch settlers emigrated to the New World, particularly to the Dutch colony of New Netherland (later New York). The name can be found in various historical records and documents from this period, such as land deeds and census records.
Notable individuals with the surname VANNESS include:
1. Peter VANNESS (1647-1720), a Dutch settler in New Netherland who became a prominent landowner and politician in what is now Brooklyn, New York.
2. Cornelius P. VANNESS (1782-1852), an American lawyer and politician who served as the 10th Governor of Vermont from 1823 to 1826.
3. William VANNESS (1818-1899), an American politician and lawyer who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from New York from 1861 to 1863.
4. Marinus VANNESS (1786-1862), a Dutch-American politician who served as a member of the New York State Assembly and as a judge in New York.
5. Garrett J. VANNESS (1826-1903), an American businessman and politician who served as the Mayor of Milwaukee, Wisconsin from 1887 to 1888.
The surname VANNESS has been carried by many individuals throughout history, with its origins rooted in the Netherlands and its spread facilitated by Dutch immigration to the Americas in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vanness
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanness, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Vanness 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 Vanness surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.4% · 3,547
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 189
- Two or more races4.4% · 180
- Black or African American3.7% · 152
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 27
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vanness
Vanness 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
#7,736
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,291
+276 bearers (+6.9%)
Per 100,000 1.45
Rank movement Down 105 places
2020
#7,759
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,107
-184 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 1.37
Rank movement Down 23 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,631 | 4,015 | 1.49 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,736 | 4,291 | 1.45 | +276 bearers (+6.9%) | Down 105 places |
| 2020 | #7,759 | 4,107 | 1.37 | -184 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 23 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 Vanness 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 | #7,736 | #7,759 | -0.3% |
| Count | 4,291 | 4,107 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.45 | 1.37 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vanness bearers went from 4,291 to 4,107 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 23 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,736 to #7,759.
FAQ
Vanness surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vanness?
Name Census estimates that about 4,710 living Americans carry the surname Vanness. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 72,772 residents.
How common is Vanness?
Vanness ranks #7,759 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.37 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 4,107 people with the surname Vanness. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,710), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.37 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.37 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 Vanness.
Has Vanness become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vanness went from 4,291 recorded bearers to 4,107. That is a decrease of 184 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,736 to #7,759.
What does the Census say about the background of Vanness?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanness, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Vanness in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.4% (3,547 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vanness appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.4%), Hispanic (4.6%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Vanness (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 Vanness mean?
Derived from the Dutch place name "Van Ness," indicating someone who lived near a headland or promontory. 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 Vanness (1.37 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 Vanness?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.