2000
#5,635
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,650
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.09
Rare Last name
Voorhees
Dutch habitational surname referring to someone from any of several places called Voorhees, meaning "before (the) hedges."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,205 Americans carry the last name Voorhees. That puts it at #6,092 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.81 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 55,238 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Voorhees 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
6.2K
1 in 55,238
Census rank
#6,092
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,411 bearers of the surname Voorhees in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.81 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6092nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Voorhees, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Voorhees
The surname Voorhees originated in the Netherlands, likely in the 16th or 17th century. It is derived from the Dutch words "voor" meaning "before" and "hees" meaning "heathland" or "wasteland." The name suggests a connection to a location situated before or in front of a heathland area.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Voorhees can be found in the Dutch Reformed Church records of Midwout (now Flatbush, Brooklyn) in the late 17th century. Steven Coerte Van Voorhees, born around 1660, is believed to be one of the first bearers of the surname in the New World.
The name Voorhees has its roots in the Netherlands, but it gained prominence in the United States, particularly in the state of New Jersey. Lucas Voorhees, born in 1681 in Flatbush, is considered the progenitor of many Voorhees families in New Jersey.
In the 18th century, the Voorhees family played a significant role in the American Revolutionary War. Hendrick Voorhees, born in 1734, served as a colonel in the Somerset County Militia and was instrumental in several battles against British forces.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Voorhees. One such figure is Ralph Voorhees, born in 1838, who served as a Union Army officer during the American Civil War and later became a successful businessman and philanthropist in Ohio.
Another prominent Voorhees was Daniel Wolcott Voorhees, born in 1827, who served as a United States Senator from Indiana and was known for his oratorical skills and contributions to legal education.
The surname Voorhees has also been associated with the arts. Charles Stewart Voorhees, born in 1853, was a renowned American painter known for his landscape and portrait works, many of which are housed in prestigious museums.
In the field of literature, John Voorhees, born in 1914, was an acclaimed American novelist and short story writer, whose works explored themes of family dynamics and the human condition.
While the surname Voorhees has its origins in the Netherlands, it has become well-established in various parts of the world, particularly in the United States, where it has been carried by individuals who have left their mark in various fields, from military service and politics to the arts and literature.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Voorhees
Among Census respondents with the surname Voorhees, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Voorhees 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 Voorhees surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.2% · 4,882
- Two or more races3.7% · 200
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 170
- Black or African American1.4% · 77
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 42
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 40
Timeline
Historical Census data for Voorhees
Voorhees 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
#6,012
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,720
+70 bearers (+1.2%)
Per 100,000 1.94
Rank movement Down 377 places
2020
#6,092
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,411
-309 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 1.81
Rank movement Down 80 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,635 | 5,650 | 2.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,012 | 5,720 | 1.94 | +70 bearers (+1.2%) | Down 377 places |
| 2020 | #6,092 | 5,411 | 1.81 | -309 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 80 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 Voorhees 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 | #6,012 | #6,092 | -1.3% |
| Count | 5,720 | 5,411 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.94 | 1.81 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Voorhees bearers went from 5,720 to 5,411 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 80 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,012 to #6,092.
FAQ
Voorhees surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Voorhees?
Name Census estimates that about 6,205 living Americans carry the surname Voorhees. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 55,238 residents.
How common is Voorhees?
Voorhees ranks #6,092 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.81 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,411 people with the surname Voorhees. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,205), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.81 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.81 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Voorhees.
Has Voorhees become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Voorhees went from 5,720 recorded bearers to 5,411. That is a decrease of 309 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,012 to #6,092.
What does the Census say about the background of Voorhees?
Among Census respondents with the surname Voorhees, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Voorhees in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.2% (4,882 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Voorhees appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.2%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Voorhees (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 Voorhees mean?
Dutch habitational surname referring to someone from any of several places called Voorhees, meaning "before (the) hedges." 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 Voorhees (1.81 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 Voorhees?
See how many people are called Voorhees on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.