2000
#12,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,213
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.82
Rare Last name
Vanvalkenburg
A Dutch toponymic surname indicating an origin near a falcon's castle or mountain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,376 Americans carry the last name Vanvalkenburg. That puts it at #13,940 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 144,257 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vanvalkenburg 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
2.4K
1 in 144,257
Census rank
#13,940
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,072 bearers of the surname Vanvalkenburg in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13940th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanvalkenburg, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vanvalkenburg
The surname Vanvalkenburg is of Dutch origin, originating in the Netherlands during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Dutch words "van," meaning "from," and "valkenburg," which refers to a town or village where falcons were kept or bred. The name likely emerged as a descriptive name for someone who lived near or came from such a place.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Vanvalkenburg can be found in the historical records of the city of Leiden in the 14th century. In a document dated 1387, a certain Hendrick Vanvalkenburg is mentioned as a landowner and prominent citizen of the city.
Throughout the centuries, the name has undergone various spellings, including "Van Valckenburgh," "Van Valkenborch," and "Van Valkenburgh." These variations reflect the regional dialects and spelling conventions of different areas in the Low Countries.
In the 16th century, a notable figure named Pieter Vanvalkenburg (1525-1592) was a renowned Dutch painter and engraver. His works, which often depicted religious and mythological scenes, were highly regarded during the Renaissance period.
During the Dutch Golden Age in the 17th century, the Vanvalkenburg family played a significant role in the maritime and trading activities of the Dutch Republic. Jacob Vanvalkenburg (1610-1675) was a successful merchant and shipowner based in Amsterdam, contributing to the Netherlands' prosperity as a maritime power.
In the late 18th century, a military officer named Willem Vanvalkenburg (1745-1821) served in the Dutch East Indies and played a crucial role in the Dutch colonial expansion in Southeast Asia.
Another notable figure was Johanna Vanvalkenburg (1820-1898), a Dutch-American author and activist who campaigned for women's rights and education in the United States during the 19th century.
The name Vanvalkenburg has also been associated with various place names throughout the Netherlands, such as Valkenburg aan de Geul, a town in the province of Limburg, and Valkenburg, a village in the municipality of Katwijk.
While the surname Vanvalkenburg is relatively uncommon today, it continues to be a part of the rich cultural heritage and history of the Netherlands, reflecting the country's medieval roots and its prominent role in the development of European art, trade, and exploration.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vanvalkenburg
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanvalkenburg, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Vanvalkenburg 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 Vanvalkenburg surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 1,915
- Two or more races3.3% · 69
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 56
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 16
- Black or African American0.4% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vanvalkenburg
Vanvalkenburg 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
#13,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,311
+98 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Down 438 places
2020
#13,940
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,072
-239 bearers (-10.3%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Down 719 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,783 | 2,213 | 0.82 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,221 | 2,311 | 0.78 | +98 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 438 places |
| 2020 | #13,940 | 2,072 | 0.69 | -239 bearers (-10.3%) | Down 719 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 Vanvalkenburg 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 | #13,221 | #13,940 | -5.4% |
| Count | 2,311 | 2,072 | -10.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.78 | 0.69 | -11.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vanvalkenburg bearers went from 2,311 to 2,072 (-10.3% change). The surname moved down 719 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,221 to #13,940.
FAQ
Vanvalkenburg surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vanvalkenburg?
Name Census estimates that about 2,376 living Americans carry the surname Vanvalkenburg. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 144,257 residents.
How common is Vanvalkenburg?
Vanvalkenburg ranks #13,940 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,072 people with the surname Vanvalkenburg. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,376), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.69 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Vanvalkenburg.
Has Vanvalkenburg become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vanvalkenburg went from 2,311 recorded bearers to 2,072. That is a decrease of 239 (-10.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,221 to #13,940.
What does the Census say about the background of Vanvalkenburg?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanvalkenburg, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Vanvalkenburg in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (1,915 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vanvalkenburg appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Two or More Races (3.3%), Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Vanvalkenburg (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 Vanvalkenburg mean?
A Dutch toponymic surname indicating an origin near a falcon's castle or mountain. 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 Vanvalkenburg (0.69 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 share the surname Vanvalkenburg?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.