2000
#124,109
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Veling
A locational surname referring to someone from a place called Velen or Velling.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 140 Americans carry the last name Veling. That puts it at #140,525 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,448,245 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Veling 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
140
1 in 2,448,245
Census rank
#140,525
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
122
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 122 bearers of the surname Veling in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 140525th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Veling, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (1.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Veling
The surname Veling is of Dutch origin, derived from the Dutch word "velen," which means "to sell" or "to peddle." It is believed to have originated in the Netherlands during the medieval period, likely around the 13th or 14th century.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Veling can be traced back to the city of Amsterdam, where it was commonly associated with merchants and traders. The name may have been adopted by individuals involved in the sale of goods or by those who worked as traveling salesmen or peddlers.
One of the earliest documented references to the surname Veling can be found in the records of the Dutch East India Company (Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie or VOC), which was established in 1602. Several individuals with the surname Veling were employed by the company as merchants and traders, facilitating the lucrative spice trade between the Netherlands and the East Indies.
Interestingly, the surname Veling also appears in the historical records of the Dutch West India Company (Geoctroyeerde Westindische Compagnie or GWC), which was founded in 1621. This company played a crucial role in the colonization of the Dutch West Indies and the establishment of settlements in the Americas.
One notable individual with the surname Veling was Hans Veling, a Dutch merchant and explorer who was born in Amsterdam in 1620. Veling embarked on several voyages to the West Indies and is credited with establishing a trading post on the island of Curaçao in the Dutch Caribbean in the mid-17th century.
Another significant figure bearing the surname Veling was Pieter Veling, a Dutch painter who lived from 1637 to 1692. Veling was a prominent member of the Dutch Golden Age of painting and is renowned for his genre scenes and still-life works, which depicted everyday life in the Netherlands during that era.
In the 18th century, a prominent Dutch family with the surname Veling resided in the city of Leiden. This family was known for their involvement in the textile industry and played a significant role in the city's economic development during that period.
Toward the latter part of the 19th century, the surname Veling began to appear in the records of Dutch immigrants who settled in various parts of the United States and Canada. These individuals often Anglicized the spelling of their surname to "Veling" or "Veiling," reflecting the adaptations made by immigrant communities to integrate into their new surroundings.
Throughout history, the surname Veling has been associated with a rich heritage of trade, entrepreneurship, and cultural contributions, particularly in the Netherlands and its former colonies. While the name may have evolved over time, its roots remain firmly tied to the Dutch mercantile tradition.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Veling
Among Census respondents with the surname Veling, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (1.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Veling 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 Veling surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.0% · 111
- Two or more races4.1% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino1.6% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.6% · 2
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Veling
Veling 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
#131,379
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
+1 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,270 places
2020
#140,525
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
-7 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,146 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,109 | 128 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #131,379 | 129 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 7,270 places |
| 2020 | #140,525 | 122 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 9,146 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 Veling 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 | #131,379 | #140,525 | -7.0% |
| Count | 129 | 122 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 2.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Veling bearers went from 129 to 122 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 9,146 positions in the national ranking, going from #131,379 to #140,525.
FAQ
Veling surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Veling?
Name Census estimates that about 140 living Americans carry the surname Veling. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,448,245 residents.
How common is Veling?
Veling ranks #140,525 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 122 people with the surname Veling. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (140), 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 Veling.
Has Veling become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Veling went from 129 recorded bearers to 122. That is a decrease of 7 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #131,379 to #140,525.
What does the Census say about the background of Veling?
Among Census respondents with the surname Veling, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (1.6%). 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 Veling in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (111 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Veling appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.0%), Two or More Races (4.1%), Hispanic (1.6%). 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 Veling (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 Veling mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from a place called Velen or Velling. 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 Veling (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 many people have the last name Veling?
You can see how common the surname Veling is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.