2000
#9,467
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,151
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.17
Rare Last name
Vanzant
An occupational surname referring to a wagon driver or a cart maker, derived from the Dutch term "Van Zandt".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,760 Americans carry the last name Vanzant. That puts it at #9,484 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 91,158 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vanzant 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
3.8K
1 in 91,158
Census rank
#9,484
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,279 bearers of the surname Vanzant in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9484th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanzant, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.3%. The next largest groups are Black (14.7%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vanzant
The surname VANZANT has its origins in the Netherlands and is a locational name derived from the Dutch place name van Zandt or van Zante. This place name is believed to have referred to a sandy area or region, with "zant" meaning sand in Dutch.
The earliest recorded instances of the VANZANT surname date back to the 16th century in the Netherlands. It is believed to have originated in the coastal regions of the country, where sandy soil and dunes were prevalent. The name may have initially been given as a descriptive term for someone who lived in or came from a sandy area.
In the early 17th century, the VANZANT name appears in Dutch colonial records from the Dutch East Indies (present-day Indonesia). This suggests that individuals bearing this surname were among the early Dutch settlers and traders in the region.
One of the earliest known bearers of the VANZANT surname was Willem van Zant, a Dutch merchant and explorer who was active in the Dutch East Indies in the early 1600s. He is mentioned in several Dutch colonial records from that period.
Another notable figure with the VANZANT name was Pieter van Zant, a Dutch naval officer and commander who served in the Dutch East India Company in the late 17th century. He was involved in several military campaigns and naval battles in the region.
In the 18th century, the VANZANT surname appears in records from the Dutch colony of Suriname in South America. This indicates that some individuals bearing this name had migrated to the Americas as part of the Dutch colonial expansion.
As the Dutch emigrated to other parts of the world, the VANZANT surname spread to different countries and regions. In the 19th century, there are records of individuals with the VANZANT name in the United States, particularly in areas with significant Dutch settlements, such as New York and New Jersey.
One notable American figure with the VANZANT surname was John VanZant, a politician and lawyer from Ohio who served in the United States House of Representatives from 1873 to 1877.
Overall, the surname VANZANT has a rich history and heritage, originating in the Netherlands and spreading across the globe through Dutch colonial expansion and immigration.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vanzant
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanzant, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.3%. The next largest groups are Black (14.7%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Vanzant 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 Vanzant surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.3% · 2,468
- Black or African American14.7% · 483
- Two or more races4.8% · 159
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 128
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 28
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vanzant
Vanzant 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
#9,698
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,345
+194 bearers (+6.2%)
Per 100,000 1.13
Rank movement Down 231 places
2020
#9,484
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,279
-66 bearers (-2.0%)
Per 100,000 1.10
Rank movement Up 214 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,467 | 3,151 | 1.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,698 | 3,345 | 1.13 | +194 bearers (+6.2%) | Down 231 places |
| 2020 | #9,484 | 3,279 | 1.10 | -66 bearers (-2.0%) | Up 214 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 Vanzant 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 | #9,698 | #9,484 | 2.2% |
| Count | 3,345 | 3,279 | -2.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.13 | 1.10 | -2.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vanzant bearers went from 3,345 to 3,279 (-2.0% change). The surname moved up 214 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,698 to #9,484.
FAQ
Vanzant surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vanzant?
Name Census estimates that about 3,760 living Americans carry the surname Vanzant. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 91,158 residents.
How common is Vanzant?
Vanzant ranks #9,484 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.10 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 3,279 people with the surname Vanzant. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,760), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.10 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 Vanzant.
Has Vanzant become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vanzant went from 3,345 recorded bearers to 3,279. That is a decrease of 66 (-2.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,698 to #9,484.
What does the Census say about the background of Vanzant?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanzant, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.3%. The next largest groups are Black (14.7%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Vanzant in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.3% (2,468 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vanzant appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.3%), Black (14.7%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Vanzant (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 Vanzant mean?
An occupational surname referring to a wagon driver or a cart maker, derived from the Dutch term "Van Zandt". 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 Vanzant (1.10 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 Americans have the surname Vanzant?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.