Find out how popular the last name VanVoorhis is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named VanVoorhis.

VanVoorhis, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the VanVoorhis surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of VanVoorhis in America

VanVoorhis is the 19480th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The VanVoorhis surname appeared 1,387 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname VanVoorhis.

We can also compare 2010 data for VanVoorhis to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name VanVoorhis

The surname VanVoorhis originated in the Netherlands, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Dutch words "van" and "voor," meaning "from" and "in front of," respectively, combined with the word "huis," which translates to "house." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived in a house located in front of or near a particular landmark or geographical feature.

One of the earliest known references to the VanVoorhis name can be found in the Dutch Reformed Church records of New Amsterdam (now New York City) from the mid-1600s. This indicates that some of the earliest bearers of the surname were among the Dutch settlers who established the colony of New Netherland in what is now the northeastern United States.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, the VanVoorhis family played a significant role in the development of the Dutch communities in New York and New Jersey. Notable individuals from this period include Coert VanVoorhis (1634-1706), who was a prominent landowner and magistrate in the Town of Flatbush, and his son Steven VanVoorhis (1670-1727), who served as a Captain in the Flatbush Militia during the colonial era.

As the VanVoorhis family expanded and spread across different regions, variations in the spelling of the name emerged, such as Van Voorhees, Van Voorhis, and Voorhees. One famous individual with this surname was Daniel Wolsey Voorhees (1827-1897), a prominent American lawyer and politician who served as a United States Senator from Indiana.

Another notable figure was Ralph VanVoorhis (1901-1994), an American lawyer and politician who served as the United States Secretary of the Army under President Harry S. Truman from 1949 to 1950. He was also a distinguished jurist, serving as a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

In the field of literature, the name VanVoorhis is associated with Horace VanVoorhis (1854-1934), an American author and educator who wrote several books on historical and literary subjects, including "The Story of Bacon's Rebellion" and "The Poems of William Shakespeare."

Throughout its history, the VanVoorhis surname has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including farmers, merchants, soldiers, and professionals, contributing to the rich tapestry of the communities in which they lived and worked.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name VanVoorhis

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname VanVoorhis.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for VanVoorhis was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of VanVoorhis has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name VanVoorhis was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of VanVoorhis, please contact us.

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