2000
#148,244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Vanslette
Dutch surname meaning "from Slete", a place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Vanslette. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vanslette 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Vanslette in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanslette, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vanslette
The surname VANSLETTE has its origins in the Netherlands, first appearing in historical records during the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Dutch words "van" meaning "from" and "slette" which was an old Dutch word referring to a small village or hamlet. This suggests the name originally identified someone who hailed from a particular hamlet or small settlement.
One of the earliest known records of the VANSLETTE name can be found in the Dutch town of Leiden in 1562, when a Pieter VANSLETTE was listed in the town's tax records. Around the same time, a Johannes VANSLETTE was recorded as a merchant in the city of Amsterdam in 1571.
By the early 17th century, the name had spread to other parts of Europe. In 1619, a Hans VANSLETTE was documented as a farmer in the village of Oberkirchen, located in what is now modern-day Germany. A few decades later, in 1648, a Claude VANSLETTE appeared in records from the French region of Lorraine.
While not a widespread surname, a handful of notable individuals have borne the VANSLETTE name throughout history. One such person was Willem VANSLETTE (1637-1701), a Dutch painter known for his landscapes and portraiture. Another was Johann VANSLETTE (1722-1799), a German composer and organist who served at the court of Frederick the Great in Prussia.
In England, the earliest recorded VANSLETTE was Thomas VANSLETTE, born in 1684 in the village of Chadwell St Mary in Essex. His descendants can be traced through parish records in that area over the next two centuries.
Later, in the 19th century, a French officer named Émile VANSLETTE (1815-1887) gained recognition for his service in the Crimean War and was awarded the Légion d'honneur by Emperor Napoleon III. Around the same time, a Dutch explorer named Maarten VANSLETTE (1829-1901) embarked on several expeditions to Africa and the East Indies on behalf of the Dutch East India Company.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vanslette
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanslette, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Vanslette 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 Vanslette surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.8% · 103
- Hispanic or Latino5.0% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.3% · 4
- Two or more races3.3% · 4
- Black or African American2.5% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vanslette
Vanslette 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
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
+8 bearers (+7.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,151 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+10 bearers (+9.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,346 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #148,244 | 102 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.8%) | Down 1,151 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+9.1%) | Up 7,346 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 Vanslette 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 | #149,395 | #142,049 | 4.9% |
| Count | 110 | 120 | 9.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vanslette bearers went from 110 to 120 (+9.1% change). The surname moved up 7,346 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #142,049.
FAQ
Vanslette surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vanslette?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Vanslette. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Vanslette?
Vanslette ranks #142,049 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 120 people with the surname Vanslette. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), 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 Vanslette.
Has Vanslette become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vanslette went from 110 recorded bearers to 120. That is an increase of 10 (+9.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #149,395 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Vanslette?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanslette, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.3%). 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 Vanslette in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.8% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vanslette appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.8%), Hispanic (5.0%), American Indian/Alaska Native (3.3%). 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 Vanslette (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 Vanslette mean?
Dutch surname meaning "from Slete", 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 Vanslette (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 have the surname Vanslette?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.