2010
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Vonlanken
A surname of German origin meaning "from Lanken", likely referring to a place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Vonlanken. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vonlanken 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Vonlanken in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vonlanken, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Black (1.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vonlanken
The surname VONLANKEN originated in Germany during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old German words "von" meaning "from" and "lanken" referring to a long and narrow stretch of land, likely a reference to the geographic location where the earliest bearers of the name lived.
The name VONLANKEN can be traced back to the 13th century, with records showing it appearing in various forms such as Vonlanken, Vonlancken, and Vonlancken in different regions of Germany. One of the earliest known references is found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of medieval documents from Saxony, which mentions a "Johannes Vonlancken" in 1275.
In the 14th century, the name VONLANKEN appears in the Stadtbücher (city books) of Nuremberg, where a "Heinrich Vonlanken" is recorded as a citizen in 1342. This suggests that the name had spread to different parts of Germany by this time.
During the 15th century, a notable bearer of the name was Johann Vonlanken (1425-1491), a merchant and member of the influential Hanseatic League in the city of Lübeck. His name is mentioned in various trade records and documents from the period.
Another historical figure of note is Friedrich Vonlanken (1562-1627), a Protestant theologian and author who served as a professor at the University of Marburg. His works on religious doctrine and philosophy were widely circulated during the Reformation era.
In the 18th century, the name VONLANKEN gained prominence through the achievements of Johann Friedrich Vonlanken (1712-1784), a renowned architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings and city plans in Berlin and other German cities.
Throughout its history, the surname VONLANKEN has been associated with various noble families and landowners in different regions of Germany. Some of these families can trace their lineage back to the medieval period, with their names appearing in records of land grants and noble titles.
While the name VONLANKEN is most commonly found in Germany, it has also spread to other parts of Europe and beyond through migration and diaspora over the centuries. However, its origins and earliest documented use can be firmly traced back to the Germanic regions of medieval Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vonlanken
Among Census respondents with the surname Vonlanken, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Black (1.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Vonlanken 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 Vonlanken surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.1% · 111
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vonlanken
Vonlanken appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+17 bearers (+16.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 16,201 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | +17 bearers (+16.8%) | Up 16,201 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 Vonlanken 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 | #159,712 | #143,511 | 10.1% |
| Count | 101 | 118 | 16.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 31.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vonlanken bearers went from 101 to 118 (+16.8% change). The surname moved up 16,201 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #143,511.
FAQ
Vonlanken surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vonlanken?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Vonlanken. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Vonlanken?
Vonlanken ranks #143,511 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 118 people with the surname Vonlanken. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), 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 Vonlanken.
Has Vonlanken become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vonlanken went from 101 recorded bearers to 118. That is an increase of 17 (+16.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Vonlanken?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vonlanken, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Black (1.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Vonlanken in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.1% (111 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vonlanken appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.1%), Black (1.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Vonlanken (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 Vonlanken mean?
A surname of German origin meaning "from Lanken", likely referring to a place name. 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 Vonlanken (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 Vonlanken?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.