2000
#148,244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Vanpolen
An occupational surname originating from the Dutch for "from Polen", indicating the bearer's origin from Poland.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Vanpolen. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vanpolen 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Vanpolen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanpolen, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vanpolen
The surname VANPOLEN is of Dutch origin and dates back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated from the Dutch city of Polen, located in the province of Overijssel. The prefix "van" in the name means "from" in Dutch, indicating that the earliest bearers of this surname likely hailed from this particular town or region.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the VANPOLEN name can be found in the Dutch Republic's population registers from the late 16th and early 17th centuries. During this period, the Netherlands experienced a significant influx of immigrants, which contributed to the widespread adoption of surnames derived from place names.
In the 17th century, a notable figure bearing the VANPOLEN surname was Jan Vanpolen, a Dutch merchant and trader who established trade routes between the Netherlands and the East Indies. Born in 1612 in Amsterdam, Jan Vanpolen played a crucial role in the Dutch East India Company's expansion and contributed to the Netherlands' economic prosperity during the Golden Age.
Another prominent individual with the VANPOLEN surname was Pieter Vanpolen, a Dutch military officer who served in the Eighty Years' War against Spain. Born in 1587 in Rotterdam, Pieter Vanpolen is recorded as having participated in several pivotal battles, including the Siege of Breda in 1625.
During the 18th century, the VANPOLEN name gained further recognition with the birth of Willem Vanpolen, a renowned Dutch painter known for his landscape and portrait works. Born in 1718 in Delft, Willem Vanpolen's artworks were highly sought after by the Dutch aristocracy and are now displayed in various museums across the Netherlands.
In the 19th century, the VANPOLEN surname made its way to the United States, with many Dutch immigrants settling in the Midwest and East Coast regions. One notable American with this surname was Jacob Vanpolen, a politician and businessman born in 1842 in New York City. Jacob Vanpolen served as a city councilman and was instrumental in the development of several infrastructure projects in his local community.
Another notable figure from this period was Anna Vanpolen, a Dutch-American writer and activist born in 1859 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Anna Vanpolen was a vocal advocate for women's rights and played a significant role in the suffrage movement in the United States.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vanpolen
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanpolen, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Vanpolen 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 Vanpolen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.0% · 109
- Two or more races3.4% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vanpolen
Vanpolen 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
#128,249
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 133
+31 bearers (+30.4%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 19,995 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-17 bearers (-12.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,779 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #148,244 | 102 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #128,249 | 133 | 0.05 | +31 bearers (+30.4%) | Up 19,995 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -17 bearers (-12.8%) | Down 16,779 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 Vanpolen 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 | #128,249 | #145,028 | -13.1% |
| Count | 133 | 116 | -12.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -22.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vanpolen bearers went from 133 to 116 (-12.8% change). The surname moved down 16,779 positions in the national ranking, going from #128,249 to #145,028.
FAQ
Vanpolen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vanpolen?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Vanpolen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Vanpolen?
Vanpolen ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Vanpolen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Vanpolen.
Has Vanpolen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vanpolen went from 133 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 17 (-12.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #128,249 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Vanpolen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanpolen, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Vanpolen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.0% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vanpolen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.0%), Two or More Races (3.4%), Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Vanpolen (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 Vanpolen mean?
An occupational surname originating from the Dutch for "from Polen", indicating the bearer's origin from Poland. 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 Vanpolen (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 common is the surname Vanpolen?
Find out how common the surname Vanpolen is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.