2000
#14,038
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,970
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.73
Rare Last name
Vanwormer
A Dutch occupational surname referring to someone who lived or worked on a dyke or levee.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,191 Americans carry the last name Vanwormer. That puts it at #14,878 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 156,437 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vanwormer 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
2.2K
1 in 156,437
Census rank
#14,878
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,911 bearers of the surname Vanwormer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14878th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanwormer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vanwormer
The surname VANWORMER is believed to have originated in the Netherlands, likely during the 17th or 18th century. It is a locational name, derived from the Dutch town or village of Wormer, which is located in the province of North Holland. The prefix "van" means "from" in Dutch, indicating that the name refers to someone who hailed from Wormer.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name VANWORMER can be found in the Dutch Reformed Church records from the village of Wormer itself, dating back to the late 17th century. These records mention several families with the surname VANWORMER, suggesting that the name was well-established in the area by that time.
As the Dutch began to colonize various parts of the world, including North America, the name VANWORMER was carried to new lands. One of the earliest known bearers of the name in the Americas was Pieter VANWORMER, who was born in the Netherlands in 1653 and later settled in what is now New York City.
Another notable figure with the surname VANWORMER was Jacob VANWORMER, a Dutch settler who was born in 1692 and played a role in the early history of New Jersey. He is mentioned in several land records and historical documents from the region.
In the 19th century, the name VANWORMER appeared in various parts of the United States, particularly in areas with strong Dutch or Dutch-American populations. One example is John VANWORMER, who was born in New York in 1812 and later became a prominent farmer and landowner in Michigan.
Another individual of note was Willem VANWORMER, who was born in the Netherlands in 1827 and later emigrated to the United States. He settled in Iowa and became a respected member of the local Dutch community, serving as a deacon in the Dutch Reformed Church.
While the name VANWORMER is not as common as some other Dutch surnames, it has left its mark on history, appearing in various records and documents over the centuries. Its origins can be traced back to the small Dutch town of Wormer, and it has since spread to various parts of the world through the migration and settlement of Dutch families.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vanwormer
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanwormer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Vanwormer 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 Vanwormer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.7% · 1,772
- Two or more races3.3% · 63
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 51
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 13
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 8
- Black or African American0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vanwormer
Vanwormer 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
#14,468
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,064
+94 bearers (+4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Down 430 places
2020
#14,878
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,911
-153 bearers (-7.4%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Down 410 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,038 | 1,970 | 0.73 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,468 | 2,064 | 0.70 | +94 bearers (+4.8%) | Down 430 places |
| 2020 | #14,878 | 1,911 | 0.64 | -153 bearers (-7.4%) | Down 410 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 Vanwormer 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 | #14,468 | #14,878 | -2.8% |
| Count | 2,064 | 1,911 | -7.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.70 | 0.64 | -8.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vanwormer bearers went from 2,064 to 1,911 (-7.4% change). The surname moved down 410 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,468 to #14,878.
FAQ
Vanwormer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vanwormer?
Name Census estimates that about 2,191 living Americans carry the surname Vanwormer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 156,437 residents.
How common is Vanwormer?
Vanwormer ranks #14,878 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.64 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 1,911 people with the surname Vanwormer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,191), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.64 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 Vanwormer.
Has Vanwormer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vanwormer went from 2,064 recorded bearers to 1,911. That is a decrease of 153 (-7.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,468 to #14,878.
What does the Census say about the background of Vanwormer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanwormer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. 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 Vanwormer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (1,772 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vanwormer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.7%), 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 Vanwormer (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 Vanwormer mean?
A Dutch occupational surname referring to someone who lived or worked on a dyke or levee. 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 Vanwormer (0.64 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 are called Vanwormer?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Vanwormer on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.