2000
#30,970
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 709
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.26
Very Rare Last name
Vossen
A locational surname indicating a person from an area with abundant foxes or foxholes.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 948 Americans carry the last name Vossen. That puts it at #30,281 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.28 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 361,555 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vossen 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
948
1 in 361,555
Census rank
#30,281
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
827
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 827 bearers of the surname Vossen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.28 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 30281st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vossen, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vossen
The surname Vossen originated in the Low Countries, specifically the regions that are now modern-day Belgium and the Netherlands. It is believed to have first emerged in the 12th or 13th century. The name is derived from the Middle Dutch word "vos," which means "fox." This suggests that the surname may have initially been a descriptive nickname, given to someone who exhibited fox-like characteristics or perhaps had reddish hair reminiscent of a fox's fur.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Vossen can be found in the Gildeboek van Gent, a historical record of guilds in the city of Ghent, Belgium, dating back to the 14th century. The name appears in various spellings, such as "Vos," "Vossen," and "Vosse," reflecting the linguistic variations common in that era.
In the 15th century, a notable figure named Jan Vossen (c. 1420-1490) was a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of Antwerp, Belgium. His descendants continued to play influential roles in the city's economic and political affairs for generations.
During the 16th century, a man named Pieter Vossen (c. 1510-1580) was a renowned painter and engraver from the Dutch city of Delft. His works, often depicting biblical scenes and landscapes, were highly regarded in his time and can still be found in several art museums across Europe.
In the 17th century, the name Vossen appeared in the records of the Dutch East India Company (VOC), where a man named Dirk Vossen (c. 1630-1690) served as a captain and navigator. He was responsible for several successful trading voyages to the East Indies, contributing to the company's expansion and economic prosperity.
Another notable figure was Johanna Vossen (1766-1842), a Dutch writer and poet from Amsterdam. Her collection of poems, published in 1810, earned her widespread acclaim and recognition as one of the leading literary figures of her time.
Throughout the centuries, the surname Vossen has been associated with various occupations, including merchants, artisans, sailors, and writers. While its origins can be traced back to the Low Countries, the name has since spread to other parts of Europe and beyond, carried by generations of individuals bearing this distinctive surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vossen
Among Census respondents with the surname Vossen, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Vossen 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 Vossen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.8% · 759
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 27
- Two or more races2.7% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 6
- Black or African American0.5% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vossen
Vossen 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
#29,878
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 786
+77 bearers (+10.9%)
Per 100,000 0.27
Rank movement Up 1,092 places
2020
#30,281
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 827
+41 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 0.28
Rank movement Down 403 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #30,970 | 709 | 0.26 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #29,878 | 786 | 0.27 | +77 bearers (+10.9%) | Up 1,092 places |
| 2020 | #30,281 | 827 | 0.28 | +41 bearers (+5.2%) | Down 403 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 Vossen 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 | #29,878 | #30,281 | -1.3% |
| Count | 786 | 827 | 5.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.27 | 0.28 | 2.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vossen bearers went from 786 to 827 (+5.2% change). The surname moved down 403 positions in the national ranking, going from #29,878 to #30,281.
FAQ
Vossen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vossen?
Name Census estimates that about 948 living Americans carry the surname Vossen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 361,555 residents.
How common is Vossen?
Vossen ranks #30,281 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.28 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 827 people with the surname Vossen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (948), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.28 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.28 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 Vossen.
Has Vossen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vossen went from 786 recorded bearers to 827. That is an increase of 41 (+5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #29,878 to #30,281.
What does the Census say about the background of Vossen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vossen, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (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 Vossen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (759 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vossen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.8%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (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 Vossen (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 Vossen mean?
A locational surname indicating a person from an area with abundant foxes or foxholes. 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 Vossen (0.28 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 share the surname Vossen?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.