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

VanPelt, 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 VanPelt surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of VanPelt in America

VanPelt is the 5222nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The VanPelt surname appeared 6,685 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname VanPelt.

We can also compare 2010 data for VanPelt 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 VanPelt

The surname VANPELT originated in the Netherlands during the Middle Ages. It is a derived form of the Dutch van de pelt, which translates to "from the fur" or "from the pelt." The name likely referred to an occupation or trade involving pelts or fur, such as a furrier or a fur trader.

In its earliest recorded instances, the name appeared in various spellings, including van de Pelte, van der Pelt, and van Pelt. These spellings can be found in historical documents and records from the 15th and 16th centuries in the Netherlands.

One of the earliest known individuals bearing this surname was Pieter van Pelt, a merchant from Amsterdam who lived in the late 16th century. Another notable figure was Jan van Pelt, a Dutch painter who was active in the early 17th century and was known for his landscape paintings.

The name VANPELT also has ties to geographical locations in the Netherlands. For instance, there is a village called Pelt in the province of Limburg, which may have contributed to the origin of the surname.

As the name spread beyond the Netherlands, it was carried by Dutch settlers and immigrants to other parts of the world. One notable bearer of the name was Jochem van Pelt, a Dutch colonist who settled in New Netherland (present-day New York) in the mid-17th century and became one of the earliest landowners in what is now Brooklyn.

In the United States, a prominent figure with the VANPELT surname was Samuel G. VanPelt (1833-1905), a Union Army officer during the American Civil War who later served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.

Another noteworthy individual was Robert F. VanPelt (1888-1957), an American educator and author who served as the president of Michigan State College (now Michigan State University) from 1945 to 1953.

In the arts, Francis VanPelt (1864-1939) was a Dutch-American artist and illustrator known for his work in magazines and children's books in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

These are just a few examples of individuals who have borne the VANPELT surname throughout history, showcasing its Dutch origins and its presence in various parts of the world over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name VanPelt

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

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 VanPelt 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 VanPelt 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 VanPelt was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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