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

VanZee, 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 VanZee surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of VanZee in America

VanZee is the 19372nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The VanZee surname appeared 1,396 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 VanZee.

We can also compare 2010 data for VanZee 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 VanZee

The surname VANZEE originated in the Netherlands during the late 16th century. It is derived from the Dutch phrase "van zee" which translates to "from the sea" or "by the sea." This suggests that the name likely originated from families who lived near the coast or made their living from maritime activities.

Early records of the VANZEE name can be found in the Dutch provinces of Zeeland and South Holland, particularly in coastal towns and fishing villages. Variations of the spelling include Van Zee, Van Zee, and VanZee. It is believed that the name may have been adopted by individuals who relocated from these coastal regions to other parts of the Netherlands or abroad.

One of the earliest documented references to the VANZEE name dates back to 1593, when a merchant named Pieter VanZee is mentioned in the records of the city of Amsterdam. Another notable early reference is found in the 1624 passenger list of the ship "Nieu Nederlandt," which carried several families with the VANZEE surname to the Dutch colony of New Netherland (present-day New York).

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the VANZEE name appeared in various historical records and documents throughout the Netherlands and its territories. For example, Dirk VanZee (1640-1707) was a Dutch Golden Age painter known for his maritime and landscape paintings. Johan VanZee (1723-1783) was a renowned Dutch architect who designed several notable buildings in Amsterdam.

As the VANZEE family spread throughout the Netherlands and beyond, they left their mark in various fields. Willem VanZee (1807-1876) was a Dutch-born American politician who served as the 12th Governor of Rhode Island from 1859 to 1863. Jacobus VanZee (1848-1909) was a Dutch-born American civil engineer who played a significant role in the development of New York City's infrastructure.

In more recent times, notable individuals with the VANZEE surname include Pieter VanZee (1923-2010), a Dutch-American mathematician and computer scientist who made significant contributions to the field of computational geometry, and Dirk VanZee (born 1962), a Dutch-American basketball player and coach who played in the NBA and coached several college teams.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name VanZee

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

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 VanZee 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 VanZee 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 VanZee was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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