2010
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Vansanford
A locational surname originally derived from a place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 114 Americans carry the last name Vansanford. That puts it at #156,005 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,006,617 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vansanford 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
114
1 in 3,006,617
Census rank
#156,005
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
99
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 99 bearers of the surname Vansanford in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156005th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vansanford, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vansanford
The surname Vansanford is believed to have originated in the Netherlands during the late 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the Dutch phrase "van Zandvoort," which translates to "from Zandvoort." Zandvoort is a town located in the province of North Holland, situated along the coast of the Netherlands.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Vansanford appears in a Dutch census record from the year 1612, where it is listed as "Van Zandvoort." This suggests that the name likely evolved from its original Dutch form over time as families migrated and settled in different regions.
In the 17th century, a notable figure bearing the name Vansanford was Pieter Vansanford, a Dutch merchant and trader who was born in 1642 and lived in Amsterdam. Historical records indicate that he played a significant role in the Dutch East India Company's trade operations in the Far East.
Another individual of note was Johannes Vansanford, born in 1718 in the town of Haarlem, Netherlands. He was a renowned artist and painter, known for his landscape paintings depicting the Dutch countryside and coastal regions.
As the Vansanford family migrated and settled in other parts of Europe and beyond, the name underwent various spelling variations. In early 19th century England, there are records of the name being spelled as "Vansanforde" and "Vansanfourde."
One notable Englishman bearing the name was William Vansanford (1789-1867), a prominent lawyer and judge who served as a magistrate in London during the Victorian era.
In the United States, the earliest recorded instance of the Vansanford name dates back to the late 18th century. Samuel Vansanford (1765-1842) was a farmer and landowner in Pennsylvania, having emigrated from the Netherlands in the late 1700s.
Another significant figure was Mary Vansanford (1820-1892), an American writer and activist born in New York. She was a vocal advocate for women's rights and played a role in the early suffrage movement.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vansanford
Among Census respondents with the surname Vansanford, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Vansanford 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 Vansanford surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.9% · 92
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 4
- Two or more races2.0% · 2
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vansanford
Vansanford 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
#156,005
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 99
-5 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 39 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #156,005 | 99 | 0.03 | -5 bearers (-4.8%) | Up 39 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 Vansanford 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 | #156,044 | #156,005 | 0.0% |
| Count | 104 | 99 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -17.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vansanford bearers went from 104 to 99 (-4.8% change). The surname moved up 39 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #156,005.
FAQ
Vansanford surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vansanford?
Name Census estimates that about 114 living Americans carry the surname Vansanford. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,006,617 residents.
How common is Vansanford?
Vansanford ranks #156,005 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 99 people with the surname Vansanford. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (114), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Vansanford.
Has Vansanford become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vansanford went from 104 recorded bearers to 99. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #156,005.
What does the Census say about the background of Vansanford?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vansanford, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Vansanford in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.9% (92 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vansanford appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.9%), Hispanic (4.0%), Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Vansanford (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 Vansanford mean?
A locational surname originally derived from a place name. 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 Vansanford (0.03 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 Vansanford?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.