2000
#13,040
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,155
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.80
Rare Last name
Vanorden
Derived from the Dutch surname "Van Orden," indicating someone from the town of Orden in the Netherlands.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,642 Americans carry the last name Vanorden. That puts it at #12,776 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.77 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 129,733 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vanorden 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
2.6K
1 in 129,733
Census rank
#12,776
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,304 bearers of the surname Vanorden in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.77 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12776th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanorden, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vanorden
The surname VANORDEN is believed to have originated in the Netherlands during the 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the Dutch words "van" meaning "from" and "Orden" which was a place name referring to the town of Orde or Orden located in the province of Gelderland.
Historical records show that the name VANORDEN first appeared in the region of Zuid-Holland, which is a province in the western part of the Netherlands. It is possible that the earliest bearers of this surname were from the town of Orde and later migrated to other parts of the Netherlands.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name VANORDEN can be found in the baptismal records of the Dutch Reformed Church in Amsterdam, dated 1612. The entry lists the baptism of a child named Pieter VANORDEN, son of Adriaen VANORDEN and his wife, Geertruida Willemsz.
In the 17th century, a notable figure with the surname VANORDEN was Jan VANORDEN (1610-1678), a Dutch Golden Age painter who specialized in still life paintings. He was born in Leiden and is known for his detailed depictions of flowers, fruits, and other objects.
Another historical figure with this surname was Pieter VANORDEN (1648-1719), a Dutch mathematician and astronomer. He was born in Leiden and made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics, working on the theory of planetary motions.
In the 18th century, the name VANORDEN appeared in various records across the Netherlands. One example is the birth record of Dirk VANORDEN (1735-1802), a Dutch merchant and trader who established a successful business in Amsterdam.
As the Dutch colonized various parts of the world, the surname VANORDEN also spread to other regions. In the 19th century, there are records of individuals with this surname in South Africa, where the Dutch had established settlements.
It is important to note that the spelling of the surname VANORDEN may have varied slightly over time, with alternative spellings such as VAN ORDEN or VAN DER ORDEN being used in different regions or time periods.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vanorden
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanorden, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Vanorden 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 Vanorden surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.3% · 2,104
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 82
- Two or more races3.5% · 81
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 21
- Black or African American0.6% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vanorden
Vanorden 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
#13,283
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,296
+141 bearers (+6.5%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Down 243 places
2020
#12,776
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,304
+8 bearers (+0.3%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Up 507 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,040 | 2,155 | 0.80 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,283 | 2,296 | 0.78 | +141 bearers (+6.5%) | Down 243 places |
| 2020 | #12,776 | 2,304 | 0.77 | +8 bearers (+0.3%) | Up 507 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 Vanorden 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 | #13,283 | #12,776 | 3.8% |
| Count | 2,296 | 2,304 | 0.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.78 | 0.77 | -1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vanorden bearers went from 2,296 to 2,304 (+0.3% change). The surname moved up 507 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,283 to #12,776.
FAQ
Vanorden surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vanorden?
Name Census estimates that about 2,642 living Americans carry the surname Vanorden. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 129,733 residents.
How common is Vanorden?
Vanorden ranks #12,776 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.77 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 2,304 people with the surname Vanorden. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,642), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.77 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.77 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 Vanorden.
Has Vanorden become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vanorden went from 2,296 recorded bearers to 2,304. That is an increase of 8 (+0.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,283 to #12,776.
What does the Census say about the background of Vanorden?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanorden, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Vanorden in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (2,104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vanorden appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.3%), Hispanic (3.6%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Vanorden (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 Vanorden mean?
Derived from the Dutch surname "Van Orden," indicating someone from the town of Orden in the Netherlands. 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 Vanorden (0.77 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 common is the surname Vanorden?
You can see how many people are called Vanorden on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.