2000
#14,006
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,976
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.73
Rare Last name
Vedder
An occupational surname for a cooper or barrel maker, derived from the Middle Dutch word "veder" meaning "father".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,344 Americans carry the last name Vedder. That puts it at #14,109 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.68 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 146,226 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vedder 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
2.3K
1 in 146,226
Census rank
#14,109
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,044 bearers of the surname Vedder in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.68 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14109th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vedder, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vedder
The surname Vedder is believed to have originated in Germany, specifically in the northern regions near the Netherlands border. It is derived from the Old German word "veder," which means "feather." This suggests that the name may have been an occupational surname for someone who worked with feathers, such as a fletcher or a dealer in feathered goods.
In the 13th century, the surname appeared in various records and manuscripts across northern Germany and the Low Countries. One of the earliest recorded instances was in the town of Lübeck in 1276, where a merchant named Heynrich Vedder was mentioned in a trade document.
As the name spread, it took on different spellings, such as Vedder, Veder, and Felder. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and the preferences of scribes who recorded the name. In some areas, the name was also associated with places that had derived their names from the same root word, such as the village of Vederau in present-day Lower Saxony.
Among the notable individuals bearing the Vedder surname throughout history, one can mention:
1. Jan Vedder (c. 1490-1560), a Dutch painter known for his biblical and mythological scenes.
2. Esias Vedder (1590-1652), a Dutch Golden Age painter and etcher from Oudenaarde, renowned for his landscapes and genre scenes.
3. Nicolaes Vedder (1628-1718), a Dutch Golden Age painter from Haarlem, known for his portraits and historical paintings.
4. Dirck Vedder (c. 1640-1710), a Dutch Golden Age painter from Haarlem, who specialized in still-life paintings.
5. Eduard Vedder (1805-1882), a German landscape painter and etcher from Hamburg, known for his romantic depictions of nature.
While the surname Vedder has roots tracing back to medieval Germany and the Low Countries, it has since spread to other parts of Europe and the world, carried by migrations and diasporas over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vedder
Among Census respondents with the surname Vedder, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Vedder 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 Vedder surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.5% · 1,830
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 76
- Two or more races3.6% · 73
- Black or African American1.9% · 38
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vedder
Vedder 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
#14,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,058
+82 bearers (+4.1%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Down 489 places
2020
#14,109
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,044
-14 bearers (-0.7%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Up 386 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,006 | 1,976 | 0.73 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,495 | 2,058 | 0.70 | +82 bearers (+4.1%) | Down 489 places |
| 2020 | #14,109 | 2,044 | 0.68 | -14 bearers (-0.7%) | Up 386 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 Vedder 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 | #14,495 | #14,109 | 2.7% |
| Count | 2,058 | 2,044 | -0.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.70 | 0.68 | -2.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vedder bearers went from 2,058 to 2,044 (-0.7% change). The surname moved up 386 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,495 to #14,109.
FAQ
Vedder surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vedder?
Name Census estimates that about 2,344 living Americans carry the surname Vedder. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 146,226 residents.
How common is Vedder?
Vedder ranks #14,109 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.68 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 2,044 people with the surname Vedder. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,344), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.68 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.68 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 Vedder.
Has Vedder become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vedder went from 2,058 recorded bearers to 2,044. That is a decrease of 14 (-0.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,495 to #14,109.
What does the Census say about the background of Vedder?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vedder, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Vedder in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.5% (1,830 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vedder appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.5%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Vedder (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 Vedder mean?
An occupational surname for a cooper or barrel maker, derived from the Middle Dutch word "veder" meaning "father". 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 Vedder (0.68 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 have the surname Vedder?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.