2010
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Vanvossen
A Dutch surname meaning "of Vossen", referring to a fox-related place name or occupation.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Vanvossen. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vanvossen 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Vanvossen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanvossen, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vanvossen
The surname VANVOSSEN has its origins in the Netherlands, dating back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Dutch words "van" meaning "from" and "vos" meaning "fox," likely indicating that the name's earliest bearers were associated with a location or area connected to foxes.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the VANVOSSEN surname can be found in the Dutch city of Utrecht, where a Gerrit Janssen VANVOSSEN was mentioned in a 1568 municipal record. This suggests that the name had already been established in the region by the mid-16th century.
In the 17th century, the VANVOSSEN name appears to have spread to other parts of the Netherlands, with records showing individuals bearing the surname in cities like Amsterdam and Rotterdam. During this period, variations in spelling were common, with forms such as "VAN VOSSEN" and "VANVOSSEN" appearing in historical documents.
One notable figure from this era was Pieter VANVOSSEN (1640-1692), a Dutch painter known for his landscapes and still-life works. His paintings can be found in various museums across the Netherlands, including the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.
The 18th century saw the VANVOSSEN name continue to proliferate across the Netherlands, with records indicating families bearing the surname in both urban and rural areas. Notably, a Jan VANVOSSEN (1720-1778) served as a mayor in the town of Leiden during this time.
As the VANVOSSEN name spread throughout Europe in the 19th century, it also found its way to other parts of the world through emigration. In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the name was Hendrik VANVOSSEN (1805-1871), who settled in New York in the 1830s.
Another notable figure from this period was the Dutch author and poet Willem VANVOSSEN (1830-1898), whose works explored themes of nature and rural life in the Netherlands.
As the 20th century dawned, the VANVOSSEN name continued to be carried by individuals across various fields and professions. For instance, Johanna VANVOSSEN (1901-1985) was a Dutch Olympic swimmer who competed in the 1920 and 1924 Summer Olympics.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vanvossen
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanvossen, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Vanvossen 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 Vanvossen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.7% · 112
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vanvossen
Vanvossen appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+2 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 129 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 129 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 Vanvossen 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 | #144,141 | #144,270 | -0.1% |
| Count | 115 | 117 | 1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vanvossen bearers went from 115 to 117 (+1.7% change). The surname moved down 129 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #144,270.
FAQ
Vanvossen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vanvossen?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Vanvossen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Vanvossen?
Vanvossen ranks #144,270 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 117 people with the surname Vanvossen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), 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 Vanvossen.
Has Vanvossen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vanvossen went from 115 recorded bearers to 117. That is an increase of 2 (+1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Vanvossen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanvossen, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and Black (0.9%). 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 Vanvossen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.7% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vanvossen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.7%), Hispanic (1.7%), Black (0.9%). 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 Vanvossen (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 Vanvossen mean?
A Dutch surname meaning "of Vossen", referring to a fox-related place name or occupation. 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 Vanvossen (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 common is the surname Vanvossen?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Vanvossen at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.