2010
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Vanoven
A Dutch surname derived from "van" meaning "from" and "oven" meaning "oven," likely referring to someone associated with ovens or bakeries.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Vanoven. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vanoven 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Vanoven in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanoven, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.1%) and Hispanic (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vanoven
The surname VANOVEN is thought to have originated in the Netherlands during the late medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Dutch words "van" meaning "from" and "oven" referring to a furnace or oven, suggesting the name may have been an occupational surname for someone who worked with ovens or furnaces.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Dutch Provincial Records of Holland, where a Dirck Vanoven is mentioned in an entry dated 1497. This suggests the name was already established in the region by the late 15th century.
In the 16th century, the name appears to have spread to neighboring areas, with records showing a Jan Vanoven residing in the German city of Cologne in 1532. This could indicate that members of the family had begun to migrate and settle in other parts of Europe during this time.
The earliest known bearer of the VANOVEN name in England was a Willem Vanoven, who is listed in the parish records of St. Giles-in-the-Fields, London, in 1602. This suggests that the name had been carried to England by Dutch or Flemish immigrants by the early 17th century.
Notable individuals with the surname VANOVEN include:
1. Pieter Vanoven (1619-1688), a Dutch merchant and ship owner who played a role in the establishment of the Dutch West India Company's operations in Brazil.
2. Hendrick Vanoven (1647-1721), a renowned Dutch landscape painter whose works are held in various museums and private collections across Europe.
3. Maria Vanoven (1718-1792), a Flemish botanist and one of the first women to be admitted to the Botanical Society of the Netherlands.
4. Adriaan Vanoven (1805-1879), a Dutch-born American engineer who helped design and construct several major bridges and canals in the eastern United States during the 19th century.
5. Mathilde Vanoven (1892-1975), a Belgian writer and activist who campaigned for women's rights and social reforms in the early 20th century.
While the name VANOVEN was more commonly found in the Netherlands and surrounding regions during its early history, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and cultural exchange.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vanoven
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanoven, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.1%) and Hispanic (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Vanoven 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 Vanoven surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.1% · 106
- Two or more races10.1% · 12
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vanoven
Vanoven appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+1 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,648 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 1,648 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 Vanoven 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 | #141,140 | #142,788 | -1.2% |
| Count | 118 | 119 | 0.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vanoven bearers went from 118 to 119 (+0.8% change). The surname moved down 1,648 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #142,788.
FAQ
Vanoven surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vanoven?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Vanoven. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Vanoven?
Vanoven ranks #142,788 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 119 people with the surname Vanoven. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), 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 Vanoven.
Has Vanoven become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vanoven went from 118 recorded bearers to 119. That is an increase of 1 (+0.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Vanoven?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanoven, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.1%) and Hispanic (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 Vanoven in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.1% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vanoven appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.1%), Two or More Races (10.1%), Hispanic (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 Vanoven (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 Vanoven mean?
A Dutch surname derived from "van" meaning "from" and "oven" meaning "oven," likely referring to someone associated with ovens or bakeries. 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 Vanoven (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 last name Vanoven?
You can see how many people have the last name Vanoven on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.