2000
#139,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Vermilyer
A surname derived from the Dutch word vermiljoen, meaning "red lead" or "vermilion."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Vermilyer. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vermilyer 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Vermilyer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vermilyer, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Black (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vermilyer
The surname Vermilyer originated in the Netherlands during the 16th century. It is derived from the Dutch words "ver" meaning "far" and "milie" meaning "mile," suggesting that the name may have referred to someone who traveled long distances or lived far away.
In the early 1600s, records show the name appearing in the Dutch province of Friesland, with variations in spelling such as Vermilier and Vermilyer. It is possible that the name was also influenced by the Dutch word "vermiljoen," meaning "vermilion," a bright red pigment used in painting and dyeing.
One of the earliest documented references to the name can be found in the records of the Dutch Reformed Church in New Amsterdam (now New York City) in the mid-17th century. This suggests that some bearers of the name were among the early Dutch settlers in the New World.
In the late 18th century, a Johannes Vermilyer was listed as a landowner in Dutchess County, New York. Another notable individual was Hendrik Vermilyer, a Dutch-American farmer who lived in Bergen County, New Jersey in the early 19th century.
During the American Revolutionary War, a man named Pieter Vermilyer served as a private in the New Jersey militia. His service is recorded in the muster rolls of the Continental Army.
In the 19th century, a prominent figure with this surname was Jacobus Vermilyer, a successful businessman and landowner in Schenectady, New York, who was born in 1812 and died in 1892.
Another notable bearer of the name was Willem Vermilyer, a Dutch-American scholar and author born in 1845 in New York City. He wrote several books on Dutch history and culture, and his works are still referenced today by historians and genealogists.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vermilyer
Among Census respondents with the surname Vermilyer, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Black (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Vermilyer 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 Vermilyer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.9% · 107
- Black or African American2.6% · 3
- Two or more races2.6% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vermilyer
Vermilyer 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
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+4 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,463 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,275 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #139,757 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 5,463 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 1,275 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 Vermilyer 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 | #145,220 | #146,495 | -0.9% |
| Count | 114 | 114 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vermilyer bearers went from 114 to 114 (+0.0% change). The surname moved down 1,275 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #146,495.
FAQ
Vermilyer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vermilyer?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Vermilyer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Vermilyer?
Vermilyer ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Vermilyer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Vermilyer.
Has Vermilyer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vermilyer went from 114 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #145,220 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Vermilyer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vermilyer, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Black (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Vermilyer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.9% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vermilyer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.9%), Black (2.6%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Vermilyer (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 Vermilyer mean?
A surname derived from the Dutch word vermiljoen, meaning "red lead" or "vermilion." 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 Vermilyer (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 Vermilyer?
If you just want to know how many people are called Vermilyer, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.