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

VanRooyen, 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 VanRooyen surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of VanRooyen in America

VanRooyen is the 52383rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The VanRooyen surname appeared 396 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname VanRooyen.

We can also compare 2010 data for VanRooyen 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 VanRooyen

The surname VANROOYEN originated in the Netherlands during the early 17th century. It is derived from the Dutch words "van" meaning "from" and "rooyen" meaning "to clear land". The name likely refers to an ancestor who was involved in clearing or cultivating land, perhaps a farmer or someone who worked on land reclamation projects.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname VANROOYEN can be found in the Dutch municipal records of Amsterdam in the year 1625, where a Johan VANROOYEN is listed as a resident. This suggests that the name had already become established in the Netherlands by that time.

In the late 17th century, the VANROOYEN name began to appear in records of Dutch settlers in South Africa, particularly in the Cape Colony. This was during a period of significant Dutch migration to the region, and it is likely that some of the earliest South African VANROOYENs were among these settlers.

A notable figure bearing the VANROOYEN name was Dirk VANROOYEN, a South African military leader who played a prominent role in the Second Boer War (1899-1902). He was born in 1857 and served as a general in the Boer forces, leading several significant battles against the British.

Another historically significant VANROOYEN was Johannes VANROOYEN, a Dutch explorer and navigator who was part of the crew of the Dutch East India Company ship Gelderland in the early 18th century. He helped chart new trade routes and made important contributions to the exploration of the Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia.

In more recent times, one of the most famous individuals with the VANROOYEN surname was Michiel VANROOYEN, a Dutch-South African architect who was born in 1932 and passed away in 2018. He was renowned for his work in modernist and brutalist architectural styles, and designed several iconic buildings in South Africa and the Netherlands.

Other notable VANROOYENs include Pieter VANROOYEN, a Dutch painter from the 17th century who specialized in still life and landscape paintings, and Jan VANROOYEN, a South African poet and author who was born in 1925 and made significant contributions to Afrikaans literature.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name VanRooyen

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

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

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

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