2000
#124,109
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Vongonten
A habitational surname indicating someone from the German village of Gontheim.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Vongonten. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vongonten 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Vongonten in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vongonten, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vongonten
The surname VONGONTEN is of German origin, emerging in the late 16th century. It is believed to have originated in the region of Bavaria, derived from the Old German words "von" meaning "from" and "gont" referring to a small village or settlement. This suggests the name may have initially denoted someone who hailed from a specific location with the name Gont or a variation thereof.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the VONGONTEN name can be found in the parish records of the town of Nuremberg in 1589, where a Johannes VONGONTEN is listed as a resident. Another early reference comes from the 1612 tax records of the village of Oberammergau, which mention a Wilhelm VONGONTEN as a landowner.
In the 17th century, the name appears to have spread to other parts of Germany, as evidenced by the birth record of Anna VONGONTEN in 1643 in the city of Leipzig. During this period, variations in spelling such as VONGONTHEN and VONGONTHEN were also seen.
One notable bearer of the VONGONTEN name was Heinrich VONGONTEN (1712-1789), a renowned clockmaker from Augsburg who was known for his intricate and beautifully crafted timepieces. His work was highly sought after by the nobility and wealthy merchants of the time.
Another individual of historical significance was Katharina VONGONTEN (1745-1821), a celebrated author and poet from Munich. Her collection of poems, titled "Blumen aus dem Tal" (Flowers from the Valley), published in 1785, was widely praised for its lyrical beauty and vivid imagery.
In the 19th century, the VONGONTEN name gained prominence in the field of medicine with the birth of Dr. Johann VONGONTEN (1823-1901), a pioneering surgeon from Berlin who developed innovative techniques for treating battlefield injuries during the Franco-Prussian War.
As the VONGONTEN family spread across Germany, some members relocated to other parts of Europe and eventually to the Americas. One such individual was Hans VONGONTEN (1867-1938), who emigrated to the United States in the late 19th century and became a successful businessman in New York City.
Another notable figure was Elsa VONGONTEN (1892-1976), a renowned artist from Munich whose vibrant paintings captured the beauty of the Bavarian countryside. Her works were exhibited in galleries throughout Europe and are now part of several prestigious museum collections.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vongonten
Among Census respondents with the surname Vongonten, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Vongonten 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 Vongonten surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.9% · 102
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.6% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 3
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vongonten
Vongonten 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
#137,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
-6 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,218 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-11 bearers (-9.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,338 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 | #137,327 | 122 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 13,218 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-9.0%) | Down 11,338 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 Vongonten 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 | #137,327 | #148,665 | -8.3% |
| Count | 122 | 111 | -9.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vongonten bearers went from 122 to 111 (-9.0% change). The surname moved down 11,338 positions in the national ranking, going from #137,327 to #148,665.
FAQ
Vongonten surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vongonten?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Vongonten. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Vongonten?
Vongonten ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Vongonten. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Vongonten.
Has Vongonten become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vongonten went from 122 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 11 (-9.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #137,327 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Vongonten?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vongonten, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (3.6%) 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 Vongonten in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vongonten appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.9%), American Indian/Alaska Native (3.6%), 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 Vongonten (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 Vongonten mean?
A habitational surname indicating someone from the German village of Gontheim. 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 Vongonten (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 Americans have the surname Vongonten?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.