2000
#148,244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Vondersaar
From the low German "van der Saar", meaning from the river Saar region.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Vondersaar. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vondersaar 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Vondersaar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vondersaar, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vondersaar
The surname VONDERSAAR is of German origin, originating in the region of Bavaria during the late 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the German words "von der Saar," which translates to "from the Saar," referring to the Saar River that flows through eastern France and southwestern Germany.
In the early records, the surname was often spelled as "Vondersahr" or "Vondersaher," reflecting the regional dialects and phonetic variations common during that time. The earliest known record of the name appears in a church registry from the town of Saarbrücken, dated 1587, where a "Johannes Vondersaher" is listed as a witness at a baptism ceremony.
The VONDERSAAR name is closely tied to the Saar region, which has a rich history dating back to the Roman Empire. During the Middle Ages, the area was part of the Holy Roman Empire and later came under the control of various principalities and duchies. This tumultuous history may have contributed to the spread of the name as people migrated throughout the region.
One notable bearer of the VONDERSAAR name was Heinrich Vondersaar, a prominent merchant and landowner who lived in the town of Saarlouis in the late 17th century. Records indicate that he was involved in the local governance and held considerable influence within the community.
Another historical figure of note was Katharina Vondersaar, born in 1712 in the village of Völklingen. She is mentioned in several local chronicles as a skilled midwife who assisted in numerous births throughout the Saar region during her lifetime.
In the 19th century, a prominent VONDERSAAR was Johann Vondersaar (1828-1901), a respected scholar and educator who authored several books on the history and culture of the Saar region. His works are still considered valuable resources for researchers studying the area's past.
Another individual of note was Karl Vondersaar (1865-1932), a talented artist and painter who was renowned for his landscape paintings depicting the beautiful scenery of the Saar Valley. His works were widely exhibited throughout Germany and are now housed in various museums and private collections.
Finally, one cannot overlook the contributions of Sophia Vondersaar (1890-1976), a pioneering female entrepreneur who established a successful textile manufacturing business in the city of Saarbrücken. Despite facing numerous challenges in a male-dominated industry, she built a thriving enterprise that employed hundreds of workers and played a vital role in the local economy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vondersaar
Among Census respondents with the surname Vondersaar, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Vondersaar 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 Vondersaar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.1% · 101
- Two or more races10.3% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vondersaar
Vondersaar 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
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
+6 bearers (+5.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,288 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+8 bearers (+7.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,504 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #148,244 | 102 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.9%) | Down 3,288 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.4%) | Up 6,504 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 Vondersaar 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 | #151,532 | #145,028 | 4.3% |
| Count | 108 | 116 | 7.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vondersaar bearers went from 108 to 116 (+7.4% change). The surname moved up 6,504 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #145,028.
FAQ
Vondersaar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vondersaar?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Vondersaar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Vondersaar?
Vondersaar ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Vondersaar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Vondersaar.
Has Vondersaar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vondersaar went from 108 recorded bearers to 116. That is an increase of 8 (+7.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #151,532 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Vondersaar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vondersaar, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%). 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 Vondersaar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.1% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vondersaar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.1%), Two or More Races (10.3%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%). 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 Vondersaar (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 Vondersaar mean?
From the low German "van der Saar", meaning from the river Saar region. 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 Vondersaar (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 are called Vondersaar?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Vondersaar at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.