2000
#55,732
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 344
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.13
Very Rare Last name
Von
A Dutch/German surname indicating nobility or territorial ownership.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 573 Americans carry the last name Von. That puts it at #45,998 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 598,175 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Von 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
573
1 in 598,175
Census rank
#45,998
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
500
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 500 bearers of the surname Von in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 45998th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Von, the largest self-reported group is White at 40.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (32.0%) and Black (11.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Von
The surname VON is of German origin, dating back to the medieval period. It was initially used as a preposition meaning "of" or "from," indicating a person's place of origin or residence. The earliest records of this surname can be traced back to the 12th century, when it was commonly used by nobles and aristocrats to denote their ownership of land or estates.
One of the earliest known references to the surname VON can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of historical documents from the 12th and 13th centuries. This work includes records of individuals with the surname VON, such as Rudolf von Hohenstaufen (1122-1167), a Duke of Swabia.
The surname VON was also prevalent in the Holy Roman Empire, where it was associated with various noble families. One notable example is the House of Habsburg, which produced numerous rulers and emperors, including Maximilian I von Habsburg (1459-1519), who was King of the Romans and later Holy Roman Emperor.
In the 14th century, the surname VON gained popularity among the bourgeoisie and merchants, as they sought to emulate the nobility by adopting the preposition in their names. This practice was particularly common in cities like Nuremberg and Augsburg, where merchants and artisans played a significant role in the local economy.
Among the notable historical figures with the surname VON, one can mention Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832), the renowned German writer and statesman, considered one of the greatest figures in German literature. Another prominent individual was Carl von Clausewitz (1780-1831), a Prussian military theorist whose work "On War" is widely regarded as a seminal text on military strategy.
Other notable bearers of the surname VON include Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827), the iconic German composer and pianist, and Otto von Bismarck (1815-1898), the famous Prussian statesman and mastermind behind the unification of Germany.
Throughout its history, the surname VON has been closely associated with German nobility and aristocracy, although it later transcended these boundaries and became more widespread among different social classes. Its enduring presence in German culture and history is a testament to its significance and longevity.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Von
Among Census respondents with the surname Von, the largest self-reported group is White at 40.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (32.0%) and Black (11.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Von 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 Von surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White40.2% · 201
- Asian and Pacific Islander32.0% · 160
- Black or African American11.6% · 58
- Hispanic or Latino9.8% · 49
- Two or more races6.2% · 31
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Von
Von 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
#45,189
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 474
+130 bearers (+37.8%)
Per 100,000 0.16
Rank movement Up 10,543 places
2020
#45,998
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 500
+26 bearers (+5.5%)
Per 100,000 0.17
Rank movement Down 809 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #55,732 | 344 | 0.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #45,189 | 474 | 0.16 | +130 bearers (+37.8%) | Up 10,543 places |
| 2020 | #45,998 | 500 | 0.17 | +26 bearers (+5.5%) | Down 809 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 Von 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 | #45,189 | #45,998 | -1.8% |
| Count | 474 | 500 | 5.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.16 | 0.17 | 4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Von bearers went from 474 to 500 (+5.5% change). The surname moved down 809 positions in the national ranking, going from #45,189 to #45,998.
FAQ
Von surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Von?
Name Census estimates that about 573 living Americans carry the surname Von. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 598,175 residents.
How common is Von?
Von ranks #45,998 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.17 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 500 people with the surname Von. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (573), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.17 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 Von.
Has Von become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Von went from 474 recorded bearers to 500. That is an increase of 26 (+5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #45,189 to #45,998.
What does the Census say about the background of Von?
Among Census respondents with the surname Von, the largest self-reported group is White at 40.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (32.0%) and Black (11.6%). 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 Von in the 2020 Census, accounting for 40.2% (201 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Von appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (40.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (32.0%), Black (11.6%). 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 Von (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 Von mean?
A Dutch/German surname indicating nobility or territorial ownership. 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 Von (0.17 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 Von?
Want to know how common the surname Von is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.