2010
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Vanpopering
A surname derived from a Dutch place name referring to someone from the town of Popering.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Vanpopering. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vanpopering 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Vanpopering in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanpopering, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vanpopering
The surname VANPOPERING originated in the Netherlands during the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Dutch words "van" meaning "from" and "popering" referring to the city of Poperinge in West Flanders. The name was likely originally bestowed upon someone who hailed from or resided in that region.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the VANPOPERING surname can be found in municipal records from the town of Delft, dated 1587. These archives mention a certain Pieter VANPOPERING, a merchant dealing in textiles. Further references to individuals bearing this name appear in land deeds and parish registers throughout the 17th century in various cities across the Netherlands.
During the Dutch Golden Age, a notable VANPOPERING was Joost VANPOPERING (1623-1688), a renowned landscape painter whose works adorned the homes of wealthy patrons in Amsterdam and The Hague. His masterpiece, "View of Haarlem from the Dunes," now hangs in the Rijksmuseum.
As the Dutch established colonies in the New World, some VANPOPERINGS made their way across the Atlantic. One such individual was Hendrick VANPOPERING (1651-1721), who settled in New Amsterdam (later New York) in the 1670s and became a prosperous merchant trader.
The 18th century saw the birth of Wilhelmina VANPOPERING (1742-1805), a celebrated opera singer who performed at theaters across Europe to great acclaim. Her memoirs, published posthumously, offer a fascinating glimpse into the cultural life of that era.
By the 19th century, the VANPOPERING name had spread to other parts of the world. Of particular note was Sir Edmund VANPOPERING (1819-1898), a British explorer who led several expeditions mapping uncharted territories in Africa and Asia. His journals detailing encounters with indigenous peoples remain invaluable historical resources.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vanpopering
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanpopering, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Vanpopering 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 Vanpopering surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.3% · 99
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.9% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vanpopering
Vanpopering 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
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
+2 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,245 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.9%) | Up 4,245 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 Vanpopering 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 | #157,234 | #152,989 | 2.7% |
| Count | 103 | 105 | 1.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 17.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vanpopering bearers went from 103 to 105 (+1.9% change). The surname moved up 4,245 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #152,989.
FAQ
Vanpopering surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vanpopering?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Vanpopering. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Vanpopering?
Vanpopering ranks #152,989 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 105 people with the surname Vanpopering. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), 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 Vanpopering.
Has Vanpopering become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vanpopering went from 103 recorded bearers to 105. That is an increase of 2 (+1.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Vanpopering?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanpopering, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%) and Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Vanpopering in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.3% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vanpopering appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%), Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Vanpopering (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 Vanpopering mean?
A surname derived from a Dutch place name referring to someone from the town of Popering. 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 Vanpopering (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 are called Vanpopering?
Find out how many people have the last name Vanpopering on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.