2000
#5,422
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,913
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.19
Rare Last name
Vansickle
Derived from the Dutch surname "Van Sickle," indicating an ancestor who harvested grain using a sickle.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,460 Americans carry the last name Vansickle. That puts it at #5,896 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.88 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 53,058 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vansickle 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
6.5K
1 in 53,058
Census rank
#5,896
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,633 bearers of the surname Vansickle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.88 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5896th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vansickle, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vansickle
The surname VANSICKLE is of Dutch origin, tracing its roots back to the 17th century in the Netherlands. It is believed to be derived from the Dutch words "van" meaning "from" and "zickle" which referred to a small stream or creek. The earliest known spelling variations include Van Sickelen, Van Sickle, and Van Sickelen.
One of the earliest recorded references to the VANSICKLE name can be found in the Dutch Reformed Church records of New Amsterdam (present-day New York City) from the late 1600s. This suggests that some of the earliest VANSICKLE ancestors may have been among the Dutch settlers who established the colony of New Netherland in the 17th century.
In the early 1700s, the VANSICKLE name appears in various land records and census documents in what was then the British colony of New Jersey. This indicates that some members of the family had migrated from New York to the neighboring colony of New Jersey during this period.
Notable figures throughout history with the VANSICKLE surname include John VanSickle (1725-1798), a farmer and member of the New Jersey militia during the American Revolutionary War. Another prominent individual was Henry VanSickle (1792-1862), a New Jersey businessman and politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1839 to 1841.
In the 19th century, the VANSICKLE name can be found in various historical records in the states of Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana, suggesting that members of the family had continued to migrate westward as part of the broader pattern of American expansion and settlement.
Other notable individuals with the VANSICKLE surname include James VanSickle (1816-1891), a Union Army officer during the American Civil War, and William VanSickle (1845-1917), a successful businessman and philanthropist in the city of Indianapolis, Indiana.
Throughout its history, the VANSICKLE name has maintained its Dutch origins and connections, while also becoming deeply rooted in various regions of the United States, particularly in the northeastern and midwestern states.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vansickle
Among Census respondents with the surname Vansickle, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Vansickle 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 Vansickle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.1% · 5,189
- Two or more races3.4% · 193
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 175
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 28
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 27
- Black or African American0.4% · 21
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vansickle
Vansickle 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
#5,781
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,994
+81 bearers (+1.4%)
Per 100,000 2.03
Rank movement Down 359 places
2020
#5,896
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,633
-361 bearers (-6.0%)
Per 100,000 1.88
Rank movement Down 115 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,422 | 5,913 | 2.19 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,781 | 5,994 | 2.03 | +81 bearers (+1.4%) | Down 359 places |
| 2020 | #5,896 | 5,633 | 1.88 | -361 bearers (-6.0%) | Down 115 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 Vansickle 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 | #5,781 | #5,896 | -2.0% |
| Count | 5,994 | 5,633 | -6.0% |
| Per 100K | 2.03 | 1.88 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vansickle bearers went from 5,994 to 5,633 (-6.0% change). The surname moved down 115 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,781 to #5,896.
FAQ
Vansickle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vansickle?
Name Census estimates that about 6,460 living Americans carry the surname Vansickle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 53,058 residents.
How common is Vansickle?
Vansickle ranks #5,896 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.88 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,633 people with the surname Vansickle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,460), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.88 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.88 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Vansickle.
Has Vansickle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vansickle went from 5,994 recorded bearers to 5,633. That is a decrease of 361 (-6.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,781 to #5,896.
What does the Census say about the background of Vansickle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vansickle, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Vansickle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (5,189 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vansickle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.1%), Two or More Races (3.4%), Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Vansickle (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 Vansickle mean?
Derived from the Dutch surname "Van Sickle," indicating an ancestor who harvested grain using a sickle. 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 Vansickle (1.88 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 Vansickle?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.