2000
#70,906
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 257
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.10
Very Rare Last name
Vanrooy
A Dutch or Flemish surname meaning "from the reed".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 374 Americans carry the last name Vanrooy. That puts it at #65,688 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 916,455 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vanrooy 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
374
1 in 916,455
Census rank
#65,688
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
326
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 326 bearers of the surname Vanrooy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 65688th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanrooy, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.4%) and Hispanic (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vanrooy
The surname VANROOY originates from the Netherlands and can be traced back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Dutch words "van" meaning "from" and "rooy" referring to the reddish or reddish-brown color, suggesting a connection to a place name or a descriptive nickname.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name VANROOY can be found in the baptismal records of the Dutch Reformed Church in Leiden, where a child named Jan Willemsz VANROOY was baptized in 1587. This entry provides evidence of the surname's existence in the Netherlands during the late 16th century.
Another notable historical reference to the name VANROOY comes from the 17th century, when a merchant named Pieter VANROOY is mentioned in the records of the Dutch East India Company (VOC). He was involved in trade dealings with the company, indicating the family's prominence in the mercantile circles of that era.
In the 18th century, a notable figure bearing the surname VANROOY was Dirk VANROOY (1713-1785), a Dutch painter known for his landscape and seascape works. His paintings can be found in various museums and collections across Europe.
During the 19th century, a famous bearer of the VANROOY name was Willem VANROOY (1822-1897), a Dutch politician and statesman who served as the Minister of Finance in the Netherlands from 1877 to 1879.
Another prominent individual with the surname VANROOY was Hendrik VANROOY (1870-1944), a Dutch architect and urban planner who played a significant role in the development of modern architecture in the Netherlands. He was known for his innovative designs and his contributions to the Amsterdam School of architecture.
It is worth noting that the surname VANROOY is not limited to the Netherlands alone. Over time, it has spread to other parts of the world, including the United States and Canada, likely through immigration from the Netherlands. However, the origins of the name can be traced back to the Dutch roots mentioned above.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vanrooy
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanrooy, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.4%) and Hispanic (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Vanrooy 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 Vanrooy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.0% · 277
- Two or more races6.4% · 21
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 15
- Black or African American1.5% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vanrooy
Vanrooy 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
#66,754
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 296
+39 bearers (+15.2%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Up 4,152 places
2020
#65,688
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 326
+30 bearers (+10.1%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Up 1,066 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #70,906 | 257 | 0.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #66,754 | 296 | 0.10 | +39 bearers (+15.2%) | Up 4,152 places |
| 2020 | #65,688 | 326 | 0.11 | +30 bearers (+10.1%) | Up 1,066 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 Vanrooy 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 | #66,754 | #65,688 | 1.6% |
| Count | 296 | 326 | 10.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.10 | 0.11 | 9.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vanrooy bearers went from 296 to 326 (+10.1% change). The surname moved up 1,066 positions in the national ranking, going from #66,754 to #65,688.
FAQ
Vanrooy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vanrooy?
Name Census estimates that about 374 living Americans carry the surname Vanrooy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 916,455 residents.
How common is Vanrooy?
Vanrooy ranks #65,688 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.11 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 326 people with the surname Vanrooy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (374), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.11 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 Vanrooy.
Has Vanrooy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vanrooy went from 296 recorded bearers to 326. That is an increase of 30 (+10.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #66,754 to #65,688.
What does the Census say about the background of Vanrooy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanrooy, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.4%) and Hispanic (4.6%). 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 Vanrooy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.0% (277 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vanrooy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.0%), Two or More Races (6.4%), Hispanic (4.6%). 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 Vanrooy (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 Vanrooy mean?
A Dutch or Flemish surname meaning "from the reed". 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 Vanrooy (0.11 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 surname Vanrooy?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.