Find out how popular the last name Voorhis is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Voorhis.

Voorhis, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Voorhis surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Voorhis in America

Voorhis is the 30799th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Voorhis surname appeared 756 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Voorhis.

We can also compare 2010 data for Voorhis to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Voorhis

The surname Voorhis is of Dutch origin, originating in the Netherlands during the 17th century. It is derived from the Dutch words "voor" meaning "fore" and "huis" meaning "house," suggesting it may have referred to a house located in a prominent position or at the front of a village or town.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Voorhis can be found in the Dutch Reformed Church records from the town of Leiden, where a Hendrick Pietersz Voorhis was mentioned in 1636. This indicates that the name was already established in the Netherlands by the early 17th century.

In the late 17th century, members of the Voorhis family emigrated from the Netherlands to the Dutch colony of New Netherland, which later became part of the British colonies and eventually the United States. Some of the earliest Voorhis settlers in America included Hendrick Voorhis, who arrived in New Amsterdam (now New York City) in 1662, and Coert Voorhis, who settled in Flatbush, Long Island, in 1675.

Over the centuries, the surname Voorhis has undergone various spelling variations, including Voorhees, Voorhis, Voorhies, and Voorhees. These variations likely arose due to differences in pronunciation and spelling conventions between the Dutch and English languages.

Notable individuals with the surname Voorhis throughout history include:

1. Coert Voorhis (1645-1720), one of the earliest Dutch settlers in Flatbush, Long Island, and a prominent landowner and farmer.
2. Elias P. Voorhis (1805-1887), an American lawyer and politician who served as a member of the New York State Assembly and as a judge in Wayne County, New York.
3. Albert Voorhis (1828-1913), an American civil engineer and railroad executive who played a significant role in the construction of several major railroads in the United States.
4. Charles S. Voorhis (1853-1924), an American businessman and politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio.
5. Jerry Voorhis (1901-1984), an American politician and educator who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from California and later as the executive director of the Cooperative League of the United States.

The surname Voorhis has a rich history that traces its origins back to the Netherlands in the 17th century. While it has undergone various spelling variations over time, the name has been carried by notable individuals in different fields, including agriculture, law, politics, and engineering.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Voorhis

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Voorhis.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Voorhis was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Voorhis has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Voorhis was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Voorhis, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!