2000
#127,186
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Vanorsdol
A surname possibly derived from the Dutch words "van" and "ors del", meaning "of the bear valley".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Vanorsdol. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vanorsdol 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Vanorsdol in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanorsdol, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (12.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (7.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vanorsdol
The surname VANORSDOL originates from the Netherlands, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from a combination of the Dutch words "van" meaning "from" and "Ors" which was a place name or geographical location. The suffix "dol" likely meant "valley" or "dale" in Old Dutch.
The earliest recorded instance of the name appears in a Dutch census record from 1587, where a family by the name of Vanorsdol was listed as residing in the town of Breda, located in the southern province of Noord-Brabant. It is possible that the name may have originated from this region or a nearby area.
In the early 17th century, a prominent figure named Pieter Vanorsdol (1602-1678) was a merchant and trader who operated a successful import/export business between the Netherlands and the Dutch East Indies (present-day Indonesia). His name can be found in various trade records and shipping manifests from that era.
During the Dutch Golden Age, a painter named Gerrit Vanorsdol (1627-1691) gained recognition for his landscapes and still-life works. Several of his paintings are housed in museums across Europe, including the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.
As Dutch settlers migrated to the New World in the 17th and 18th centuries, the name VANORSDOL was carried over to the American colonies. One notable individual was Johannes Vanorsdol (1712-1789), a farmer and landowner who settled in the Hudson Valley region of New York.
Another historical figure was Sarah Vanorsdol (1768-1842), a Quaker from Pennsylvania who was an outspoken abolitionist and advocate for women's rights. She was involved in the Underground Railroad and assisted in helping enslaved individuals escape to freedom.
In the 19th century, a Civil War soldier named William Vanorsdol (1836-1918) served in the Union Army and participated in several major battles, including Gettysburg. After the war, he became a successful businessman and was involved in local politics in his hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vanorsdol
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanorsdol, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (12.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (7.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Vanorsdol 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 Vanorsdol surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.8% · 89
- Two or more races12.4% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native7.1% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vanorsdol
Vanorsdol 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
#133,863
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
+2 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,677 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-13 bearers (-10.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,358 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,186 | 124 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #133,863 | 126 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 6,677 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | -13 bearers (-10.3%) | Down 13,358 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 Vanorsdol 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 | #133,863 | #147,221 | -10.0% |
| Count | 126 | 113 | -10.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vanorsdol bearers went from 126 to 113 (-10.3% change). The surname moved down 13,358 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,863 to #147,221.
FAQ
Vanorsdol surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vanorsdol?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Vanorsdol. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Vanorsdol?
Vanorsdol ranks #147,221 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 113 people with the surname Vanorsdol. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), 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 Vanorsdol.
Has Vanorsdol become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vanorsdol went from 126 recorded bearers to 113. That is a decrease of 13 (-10.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,863 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Vanorsdol?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanorsdol, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (12.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (7.1%). 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 Vanorsdol in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.8% (89 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vanorsdol appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.8%), Two or More Races (12.4%), American Indian/Alaska Native (7.1%). 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 Vanorsdol (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 Vanorsdol mean?
A surname possibly derived from the Dutch words "van" and "ors del", meaning "of the bear valley". 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 Vanorsdol (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 share the surname Vanorsdol?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.