2000
#133,114
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Vansambeek
From the small river or brook called the Sambeek.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Vansambeek. 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 Vansambeek 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 Vansambeek 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 Vansambeek, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vansambeek
The surname VANSAMBEEK has its origins in the Netherlands, dating back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Dutch place name "Sambeek," which is a village located in the province of North Brabant. The prefix "van" simply means "from" or "of" in Dutch, indicating that the name refers to someone who hailed from the village of Sambeek.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname VANSAMBEEK can be traced back to a document from 1578, which mentions a certain Adriaen Janssen van Sambeek. This suggests that the name was already in use by the late 16th century, likely among families residing in or around the village of Sambeek.
Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, the VANSAMBEEK name appears sporadically in various Dutch records and archives. One notable individual was Pieter Vansambeek (1635-1701), a wealthy merchant from Amsterdam who was involved in the Dutch East India Company's trade with the Indonesian archipelago.
As the Dutch Empire expanded its reach in the 17th and 18th centuries, some VANSAMBEEK families migrated to Dutch colonial settlements around the world. For instance, records show a Jan Vansambeek (1720-1785) who was born in Batavia (present-day Jakarta, Indonesia) to Dutch parents.
In the 19th century, a few individuals bearing the VANSAMBEEK surname gained recognition in various fields. Frans Vansambeek (1810-1872) was a renowned Dutch painter known for his landscape and genre scenes, while Jozef Vansambeek (1849-1921) was a Belgian politician and lawyer who served as the mayor of Antwerp.
As the 20th century dawned, the VANSAMBEEK name continued to appear across various parts of Europe and beyond. Notable individuals include Pieter Vansambeek (1901-1976), a Dutch architect who designed several notable buildings in Rotterdam, and Dirk Vansambeek (1915-1992), a Belgian writer and poet who published numerous works in Dutch and French.
While the VANSAMBEEK surname is relatively uncommon, it has a rich history that can be traced back to a small village in the Netherlands. Over the centuries, individuals bearing this name have made their mark in various fields, carrying the legacy of their ancestral roots from the village of Sambeek.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vansambeek
Among Census respondents with the surname Vansambeek, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Vansambeek 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 Vansambeek surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.6% · 112
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vansambeek
Vansambeek 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-4 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,087 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+3 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,173 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #133,114 | 117 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.4%) | Down 13,087 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.7%) | Up 1,173 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 Vansambeek 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 | #146,201 | #145,028 | 0.8% |
| Count | 113 | 116 | 2.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vansambeek bearers went from 113 to 116 (+2.7% change). The surname moved up 1,173 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #145,028.
FAQ
Vansambeek surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vansambeek?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Vansambeek. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Vansambeek?
Vansambeek 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 Vansambeek. 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 Vansambeek.
Has Vansambeek become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vansambeek went from 113 recorded bearers to 116. That is an increase of 3 (+2.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #146,201 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Vansambeek?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vansambeek, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%). 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 Vansambeek in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.6% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vansambeek appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.6%), Hispanic (2.6%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%). 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 Vansambeek (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 Vansambeek mean?
From the small river or brook called the Sambeek. 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 Vansambeek (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 Vansambeek?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Vansambeek is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.