2000
#13,256
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.78
Rare Last name
Vroman
A Dutch occupational surname referring to a peaceful or quiet man, derived from the Dutch word "vroom."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,488 Americans carry the last name Vroman. That puts it at #13,411 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 137,763 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vroman 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
2.5K
1 in 137,763
Census rank
#13,411
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,170 bearers of the surname Vroman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13411th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vroman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vroman
The surname Vroman has its origins in the Low Countries, specifically in the Dutch-speaking regions of what is now the Netherlands and Belgium. The earliest records of the name date back to the 16th century, when it was spelled as "Vroman" or "Vroeyman."
The name is believed to be derived from the Middle Dutch word "vroeman," which translates to "brave man" or "good man." This suggests that the name may have originally been a descriptive nickname given to someone who was considered brave or virtuous. Variations of the name include "Vrooman," "Vroom," and "Vroomans."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the records of the city of Leiden in the Netherlands, where a man named Adriaen Vroman is mentioned in a document from 1587. Another early reference comes from the Dutch Republic, where a certain Pieter Vroman was a member of the Staten-Generaal (the Dutch parliament) in the early 17th century.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Vroman family established itself in various parts of the Dutch Republic and the Spanish Netherlands (present-day Belgium). Notable individuals with this surname include Jacobus Vroman (1608-1678), a Dutch painter and engraver from Haarlem, and Adriaan Vroman (1722-1800), a Dutch architect and city planner who worked in The Hague.
In the late 17th century, some members of the Vroman family emigrated to the Dutch colony of New Netherland (later New York) in North America. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in the New World is that of Joost Vroman, who arrived in New Amsterdam (now New York City) in 1659.
Another notable bearer of the Vroman surname was Adam Vroman (1856-1916), an American businessman and philanthropist who founded the Vroman's Bookstore chain in Pasadena, California. The bookstore, which is still in operation today, is one of the oldest and largest independent bookstores in the United States.
Other individuals with the surname Vroman include Gerardus Vroom (1591-1670), a Dutch Golden Age painter known for his seascapes and marine paintings, and Cornelis Vroom (1567-1637), a Dutch Golden Age painter and engraver who is best known for his depictions of naval battles and maritime scenes.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vroman
Among Census respondents with the surname Vroman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Vroman 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 Vroman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.4% · 1,984
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 79
- Two or more races3.6% · 79
- Black or African American0.6% · 13
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vroman
Vroman 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
#13,670
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,215
+104 bearers (+4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Down 414 places
2020
#13,411
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,170
-45 bearers (-2.0%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Up 259 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,256 | 2,111 | 0.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,670 | 2,215 | 0.75 | +104 bearers (+4.9%) | Down 414 places |
| 2020 | #13,411 | 2,170 | 0.73 | -45 bearers (-2.0%) | Up 259 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 Vroman 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 | #13,670 | #13,411 | 1.9% |
| Count | 2,215 | 2,170 | -2.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.75 | 0.73 | -3.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vroman bearers went from 2,215 to 2,170 (-2.0% change). The surname moved up 259 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,670 to #13,411.
FAQ
Vroman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vroman?
Name Census estimates that about 2,488 living Americans carry the surname Vroman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 137,763 residents.
How common is Vroman?
Vroman ranks #13,411 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.73 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,170 people with the surname Vroman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,488), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.73 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Vroman.
Has Vroman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vroman went from 2,215 recorded bearers to 2,170. That is a decrease of 45 (-2.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,670 to #13,411.
What does the Census say about the background of Vroman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vroman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Vroman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.4% (1,984 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vroman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.4%), Hispanic (3.6%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Vroman (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 Vroman mean?
A Dutch occupational surname referring to a peaceful or quiet man, derived from the Dutch word "vroom." 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 Vroman (0.73 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 Vroman?
Want to know how many people have the surname Vroman? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.