2000
#39,111
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 530
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.20
Very Rare Last name
Vancleef
A Dutch surname meaning "from the cliff" or "from the steep slope".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 622 Americans carry the last name Vancleef. That puts it at #43,008 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.18 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 551,052 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vancleef 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
622
1 in 551,052
Census rank
#43,008
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
542
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 542 bearers of the surname Vancleef in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.18 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 43008th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vancleef, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.4%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vancleef
The surname VANCLEEF originated in the Netherlands during the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Dutch words "van" meaning "from" and "cleve" referring to the town of Cleves or Kleve in present-day Germany near the Dutch border. This suggests that the name likely originated among families who hailed from or resided in that area.
One of the earliest known records of the VANCLEEF surname can be found in a Dutch census from the year 1276, which lists a Willemus van Cleve residing in the town of Nijmegen. This indicates that the name was already in use by the late 13th century.
In the 15th century, a variant spelling of the name, "van Cleve," appears in several historical documents from the Low Countries. For instance, a manuscript dated 1432 mentions a certain Johannes van Cleve, a merchant from the city of Antwerp.
The VANCLEEF name can also be traced back to the village of Kleveren in the Dutch province of Overijssel. Records from the 1500s reference individuals with the surname VANCLEEF or VANCLEVER living in this area, suggesting a potential connection to this particular place name.
One notable figure bearing the VANCLEEF surname was Joos van Cleve (c. 1485-1541), a renowned Renaissance painter from the city of Antwerp. His works, which included religious scenes and portraits, were highly acclaimed during his lifetime and remain part of the artistic heritage of the Low Countries.
Another individual of historical significance was Gisbert van Cleef (1594-1666), a Dutch Golden Age painter known for his landscapes and cityscapes. Born in the town of Leiden, his works captured the scenery and architectural beauty of the Netherlands during a period of great cultural flourishing.
In the 18th century, a Dutch-American family by the name of VANCLEEF settled in New York, having emigrated from the Netherlands. One of their descendants, Jacob VANCLEEF (1735-1818), served as a militiaman during the American Revolutionary War.
The VANCLEEF surname also found its way to other parts of Europe, including France, where a variant spelling "Vancleve" emerged. One notable bearer of this name was Louis-Adrien Vancleve (1761-1835), a French military officer who fought in the Napoleonic Wars and later served as a general under King Louis XVIII.
While these examples highlight some notable individuals with the VANCLEEF surname throughout history, the name has been carried by countless other families and individuals over the centuries, each with their own unique stories and connections to the places and regions from which the name originated.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vancleef
Among Census respondents with the surname Vancleef, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.4%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Vancleef 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 Vancleef surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.2% · 478
- Hispanic or Latino5.4% · 29
- Two or more races4.8% · 26
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 2
- Black or African American0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vancleef
Vancleef 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
#41,579
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 523
-7 bearers (-1.3%)
Per 100,000 0.18
Rank movement Down 2,468 places
2020
#43,008
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 542
+19 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.18
Rank movement Down 1,429 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #39,111 | 530 | 0.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #41,579 | 523 | 0.18 | -7 bearers (-1.3%) | Down 2,468 places |
| 2020 | #43,008 | 542 | 0.18 | +19 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 1,429 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 Vancleef 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 | #41,579 | #43,008 | -3.4% |
| Count | 523 | 542 | 3.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.18 | 0.18 | 0.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vancleef bearers went from 523 to 542 (+3.6% change). The surname moved down 1,429 positions in the national ranking, going from #41,579 to #43,008.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Vancleef
FAQ
Vancleef surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vancleef?
Name Census estimates that about 622 living Americans carry the surname Vancleef. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 551,052 residents.
How common is Vancleef?
Vancleef ranks #43,008 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.18 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 542 people with the surname Vancleef. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (622), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.18 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.18 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 Vancleef.
Has Vancleef become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vancleef went from 523 recorded bearers to 542. That is an increase of 19 (+3.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #41,579 to #43,008.
What does the Census say about the background of Vancleef?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vancleef, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.4%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Vancleef in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.2% (478 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vancleef appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.2%), Hispanic (5.4%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Vancleef (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 Vancleef mean?
A Dutch surname meaning "from the cliff" or "from the steep slope". 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 Vancleef (0.18 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 Vancleef?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.