2000
#63,297
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 295
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.11
Very Rare Last name
Verellen
A surname of Dutch origin meaning "to spin" or "to twist."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 429 Americans carry the last name Verellen. That puts it at #58,578 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 798,961 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Verellen 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
429
1 in 798,961
Census rank
#58,578
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
374
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 374 bearers of the surname Verellen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 58578th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Verellen, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Verellen
The surname Verellen originated in Belgium, specifically in the region of Brabant, during the 13th century. It is derived from the Dutch word "veren," meaning "feathers," suggesting that the name may have been initially used as a descriptive surname for someone who worked with feathers, such as a feather merchant or a fletcher (an arrow maker).
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Verellen can be found in the records of the city of Brussels, where a certain Gilles Verellen is mentioned in a document dated 1287. This suggests that the name had already been established in the region by that time.
In the 15th century, the name appeared in the records of the city of Antwerp, where a Johannes Verellen is mentioned as a merchant in 1462. This provides evidence of the name's continued presence in the Low Countries during the late medieval period.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Verellen spread beyond Belgium, with bearers of the name appearing in various parts of Europe. In 1583, a Pieter Verellen is recorded as a citizen of Amsterdam, indicating that the name had reached the Netherlands by that time.
One notable bearer of the name Verellen was Jan Verellen (1624-1689), a Flemish painter and engraver known for his religious works and portrait paintings. He was born in Antwerp and spent most of his career in that city, which was a major artistic center during the Baroque period.
Another historical figure with the surname Verellen was Jacques Verellen (1768-1845), a Belgian military officer who served in the armies of the French Revolution and the First French Empire. He rose to the rank of general and participated in several major campaigns, including the Napoleonic Wars.
In the 19th century, the name Verellen continued to be prominent in Belgium. One notable bearer was Auguste Verellen (1825-1895), a Belgian lawyer and politician who served as the mayor of Brussels from 1875 to 1883.
While the surname Verellen is primarily associated with Belgium and the Low Countries, it has also spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora communities. However, its roots can be traced back to the medieval period in the region of Brabant, where it emerged as a descriptive surname related to the trade or profession of working with feathers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Verellen
Among Census respondents with the surname Verellen, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Verellen 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 Verellen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.9% · 340
- Two or more races4.0% · 15
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.6% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Verellen
Verellen 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
#58,042
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 350
+55 bearers (+18.6%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Up 5,255 places
2020
#58,578
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 374
+24 bearers (+6.9%)
Per 100,000 0.13
Rank movement Down 536 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #63,297 | 295 | 0.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #58,042 | 350 | 0.12 | +55 bearers (+18.6%) | Up 5,255 places |
| 2020 | #58,578 | 374 | 0.13 | +24 bearers (+6.9%) | Down 536 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 Verellen 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 | #58,042 | #58,578 | -0.9% |
| Count | 350 | 374 | 6.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.12 | 0.13 | 4.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Verellen bearers went from 350 to 374 (+6.9% change). The surname moved down 536 positions in the national ranking, going from #58,042 to #58,578.
FAQ
Verellen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Verellen?
Name Census estimates that about 429 living Americans carry the surname Verellen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 798,961 residents.
How common is Verellen?
Verellen ranks #58,578 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.13 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 374 people with the surname Verellen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (429), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.13 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 Verellen.
Has Verellen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Verellen went from 350 recorded bearers to 374. That is an increase of 24 (+6.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #58,042 to #58,578.
What does the Census say about the background of Verellen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Verellen, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Verellen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.9% (340 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Verellen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.9%), Two or More Races (4.0%), Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Verellen (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 Verellen mean?
A surname of Dutch origin meaning "to spin" or "to twist." 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 Verellen (0.13 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 Verellen?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Verellen on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.