Find out how popular the last name VanPatten is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named VanPatten.

VanPatten, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the VanPatten surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of VanPatten in America

VanPatten is the 14096th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The VanPatten surname appeared 2,132 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname VanPatten.

We can also compare 2010 data for VanPatten to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name VanPatten

The surname VANPATTEN has its origins in the Netherlands, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Dutch words "van" meaning "from" and "patten" referring to a low-lying, marshy area or a path through such terrain. The name likely originated as a descriptive surname for someone who lived near or owned land in a marshy region.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname VANPATTEN can be found in the Dutch church records of the Reformed Dutch Church in New Amsterdam (present-day New York City) in the mid-17th century. This suggests that the name was brought to the American colonies by early Dutch settlers.

In the late 17th century, the VANPATTEN surname appeared in the records of the Dutch Reformed Church in Kingston, New York, indicating the family's presence in the Hudson Valley region. The spelling variations included Van Patten, Van Petten, and Van Paten.

During the 18th century, the VANPATTEN family continued to spread across New York and into neighboring states. Notable individuals with this surname include Jacob VANPATTEN (1738-1811), a Revolutionary War soldier from New York, and John VANPATTEN (1778-1860), a prominent judge and landowner in Ohio.

In the 19th century, the VANPATTEN name gained further recognition with individuals like Elijah VANPATTEN (1813-1891), a successful businessman and politician in Indiana, and William J. VANPATTEN (1837-1904), a renowned author and educator from New York.

Another notable figure was Isaac VANPATTEN (1804-1879), a pioneer settler and landowner in Michigan, who established the town of VanPatten in Cass County, which was later renamed Marcellus.

As the VANPATTEN family spread across the United States, the name has been associated with various occupations and achievements, from military service to politics, business, and literature.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name VanPatten

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname VanPatten.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for VanPatten was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of VanPatten has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name VanPatten was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of VanPatten, please contact us.

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