2000
#113,519
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 143
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Vanvelsor
A Dutch surname likely derived from the place name Van Velsor or Van Velser.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Vanvelsor. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vanvelsor 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Vanvelsor in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanvelsor, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vanvelsor
The surname VANVELSOR has its origins in the Netherlands, emerging in the 16th century. Derived from the Dutch words "van," meaning "from," and "velsor," a place name, it suggests the bearer originated from a location called Velsor or a similar-sounding area.
Early records indicate the name was concentrated in the provinces of Friesland and Groningen in the northern Netherlands. Variant spellings like Vanvelzen, Vanvelsen, and Vanveltzen have been documented in historical documents, reflecting regional linguistic variations and scribal inconsistencies.
One of the earliest known references to the name appears in the Dutch church records of Leeuwarderadeel, Friesland, where a certain Pieter Vanvelsor was listed in 1623. Another notable entry is found in the Doopsgezinde Gemeente archives of Groningen, mentioning a Gerrit Vanvelsor in 1652.
Historically, the VANVELSOR name has been associated with several notable individuals. Johannes Vanvelsor (1632-1706) was a renowned Dutch landscape painter who achieved recognition for his depictions of pastoral scenes and rural life. His works are held in prestigious collections across Europe.
In the 18th century, Cornelis Vanvelsor (1718-1794) was a prominent merchant and landowner in Friesland, known for his involvement in the Frisian dairy trade and his philanthropic contributions to local communities.
Another individual of note is Willem Vanvelsor (1786-1856), a Dutch military officer who fought in the Napoleonic Wars and later served as a colonel in the Netherlands' Royal Army.
The VANVELSOR surname also made its way to the United States, with one of the earliest recorded instances being that of Dirk Vanvelsor, who immigrated to New Amsterdam (present-day New York) in 1652 from the Dutch Republic.
In the 19th century, Adriaan Vanvelsor (1823-1901) was a respected teacher and school administrator in the Dutch community of Holland, Michigan, where he played a significant role in promoting education and cultural preservation.
While the VANVELSOR name has maintained a presence in the Netherlands and among Dutch-American communities, it remains a relatively uncommon surname, reflecting its specific geographic origins and historical context.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vanvelsor
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanvelsor, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Vanvelsor 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 Vanvelsor surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.9% · 107
- Hispanic or Latino5.9% · 7
- Two or more races3.4% · 4
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vanvelsor
Vanvelsor 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
#122,314
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 141
-2 bearers (-1.4%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 8,795 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-22 bearers (-15.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 20,474 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #113,519 | 143 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #122,314 | 141 | 0.05 | -2 bearers (-1.4%) | Down 8,795 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | -22 bearers (-15.6%) | Down 20,474 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 Vanvelsor 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 | #122,314 | #142,788 | -16.7% |
| Count | 141 | 119 | -15.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -20.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vanvelsor bearers went from 141 to 119 (-15.6% change). The surname moved down 20,474 positions in the national ranking, going from #122,314 to #142,788.
FAQ
Vanvelsor surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vanvelsor?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Vanvelsor. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Vanvelsor?
Vanvelsor ranks #142,788 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 119 people with the surname Vanvelsor. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), 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 Vanvelsor.
Has Vanvelsor become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vanvelsor went from 141 recorded bearers to 119. That is a decrease of 22 (-15.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #122,314 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Vanvelsor?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanvelsor, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Vanvelsor in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.9% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vanvelsor appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.9%), Hispanic (5.9%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Vanvelsor (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 Vanvelsor mean?
A Dutch surname likely derived from the place name Van Velsor or Van Velser. 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 Vanvelsor (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 share the surname Vanvelsor?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.