2000
#103,706
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 160
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Vandenbussche
A Dutch surname derived from the words "van den bossche", meaning "from the forest".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 186 Americans carry the last name Vandenbussche. That puts it at #114,613 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,842,765 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vandenbussche 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
186
1 in 1,842,765
Census rank
#114,613
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
162
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 162 bearers of the surname Vandenbussche in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 114613th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vandenbussche, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vandenbussche
The surname VANDENBUSSCHE is of Dutch origin, originating in the Low Countries during the medieval period. It is derived from the Dutch words "van den" meaning "from the" and "bussche" meaning "bush" or "woods." This suggests that the name was initially given to someone who lived near or in a wooded area or bush.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in a 14th-century manuscript from Flanders, where a certain Willem VANDENBUSSCHE is mentioned as a landowner in the village of Zedelgem. Another early reference is from a 1492 census record in Bruges, which lists a baker named Jan VANDENBUSSCHE among the city's residents.
In the 16th century, the name VANDENBUSSCHE appeared in various spellings, such as "Van den Busschen," "Van den Buyssche," and "Van den Bussche," reflecting the regional variations in Dutch dialects. During this time, the name was particularly prevalent in the provinces of West Flanders and East Flanders, as well as in parts of modern-day France and Belgium.
Notable individuals with the surname VANDENBUSSCHE include Pieter VANDENBUSSCHE (1592-1661), a Flemish painter known for his religious works and portraiture. Another notable figure was Joannes VANDENBUSSCHE (1716-1789), a Flemish theologian and author who wrote extensively on moral philosophy and ethics.
In the 19th century, the name gained prominence with the birth of Isidoor VANDENBUSSCHE (1839-1920), a Belgian politician and statesman who served as the Minister of Finance and later as the Prime Minister of Belgium from 1899 to 1900. His contemporary, Jules VANDENBUSSCHE (1857-1931), was a renowned Belgian architect and urban planner responsible for designing several iconic buildings in Brussels.
Another notable VANDENBUSSCHE was Edgard VANDENBUSSCHE (1888-1959), a Belgian painter and etcher whose works captured the industrial landscapes and working-class life of his native Flanders. His contemporary, Albert VANDENBUSSCHE (1891-1968), was a Belgian cyclist who competed in the Tour de France and won several prestigious cycling races in the early 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vandenbussche
Among Census respondents with the surname Vandenbussche, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Vandenbussche 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 Vandenbussche surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 147
- Two or more races3.7% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vandenbussche
Vandenbussche 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
#105,600
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 169
+9 bearers (+5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 1,894 places
2020
#114,613
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 162
-7 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 9,013 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #103,706 | 160 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #105,600 | 169 | 0.06 | +9 bearers (+5.6%) | Down 1,894 places |
| 2020 | #114,613 | 162 | 0.05 | -7 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 9,013 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 Vandenbussche 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 | #105,600 | #114,613 | -8.5% |
| Count | 169 | 162 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.05 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vandenbussche bearers went from 169 to 162 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 9,013 positions in the national ranking, going from #105,600 to #114,613.
FAQ
Vandenbussche surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vandenbussche?
Name Census estimates that about 186 living Americans carry the surname Vandenbussche. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,842,765 residents.
How common is Vandenbussche?
Vandenbussche ranks #114,613 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 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 162 people with the surname Vandenbussche. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (186), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 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 Vandenbussche.
Has Vandenbussche become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vandenbussche went from 169 recorded bearers to 162. That is a decrease of 7 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #105,600 to #114,613.
What does the Census say about the background of Vandenbussche?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vandenbussche, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Vandenbussche in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (147 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vandenbussche appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Vandenbussche (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 Vandenbussche mean?
A Dutch surname derived from the words "van den bossche", meaning "from the forest". 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 Vandenbussche (0.05 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 common is the surname Vandenbussche?
Find out how many people are called Vandenbussche on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.