2000
#134,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Vanwychen
A Dutch surname derived from the placename Wijchen.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Vanwychen. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vanwychen 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Vanwychen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanwychen, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vanwychen
The surname VANWYCHEN is of Dutch origin, originating in the Netherlands during the late medieval period. It is derived from the Dutch words "van" meaning "from" and "wijchen" which was a place name referring to the town of Wijchen in the province of Gelderland. This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname hailed from or lived in the vicinity of this town.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the VANWYCHEN surname can be found in the Dutch municipal archives from the 16th century, where a merchant named Pieter VANWYCHEN is mentioned in records from the city of Amsterdam, dated 1587. During this time, the spelling of the surname varied slightly, with some examples including "Van Wijchen" and "Vanwijchen".
In the 17th century, the VANWYCHEN name appears in several historical records related to the Dutch East India Company, also known as the Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie (VOC). Notable individuals from this period include Dirk VANWYCHEN, a navigator and explorer who captained several voyages to the East Indies between 1642 and 1658.
As the Dutch established colonies and settlements around the world, the VANWYCHEN surname spread beyond the Netherlands. In the late 18th century, a prominent figure named Willem VANWYCHEN (1732-1807) was a governor and administrator for the Dutch East India Company in Batavia, which is now known as Jakarta, Indonesia.
Another noteworthy individual was Johannes VANWYCHEN (1814-1892), a Dutch-born artist and painter who settled in England and became renowned for his landscape and portraiture works. His paintings can be found in several prestigious art collections throughout Europe.
During the 19th century, the VANWYCHEN surname also found its way to North America, with some bearers settling in various regions of the United States and Canada. One such individual was Hendrik VANWYCHEN (1845-1923), a Dutch immigrant who became a successful businessman and industrialist in the city of Chicago.
While the VANWYCHEN surname may not be as prevalent as some other Dutch surnames, it has a rich history that spans several centuries and continents, reflecting the global reach and influence of the Dutch people throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vanwychen
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanwychen, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Vanwychen 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 Vanwychen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.5% · 106
- Two or more races2.7% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vanwychen
Vanwychen 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
#133,863
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
+11 bearers (+9.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,066 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-15 bearers (-11.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,802 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,929 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #133,863 | 126 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+9.6%) | Up 1,066 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -15 bearers (-11.9%) | Down 14,802 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 Vanwychen 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 | #133,863 | #148,665 | -11.1% |
| Count | 126 | 111 | -11.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vanwychen bearers went from 126 to 111 (-11.9% change). The surname moved down 14,802 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,863 to #148,665.
FAQ
Vanwychen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vanwychen?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Vanwychen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Vanwychen?
Vanwychen ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Vanwychen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Vanwychen.
Has Vanwychen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vanwychen went from 126 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 15 (-11.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,863 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Vanwychen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanwychen, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Vanwychen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.5% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vanwychen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.5%), Two or More Races (2.7%), Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Vanwychen (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 Vanwychen mean?
A Dutch surname derived from the placename Wijchen. 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 Vanwychen (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 Vanwychen?
Find out how many people have the surname Vanwychen on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.