2000
#2,019
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,474
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.11
Uncommon Last name
Vandyke
A Dutch toponymic surname referring to someone from the town of Dijck or living near a dike.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 18,876 Americans carry the last name Vandyke. That puts it at #2,146 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.51 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 18,158 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vandyke 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Vandyke with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
19K
1 in 18,158
Census rank
#2,146
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
16K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 16,461 bearers of the surname Vandyke in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.51 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2146th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vandyke, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Black (4.8%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vandyke
The surname VANDYKE originated in the Low Countries, which today comprises parts of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg. It emerged during the Middle Ages, likely between the 12th and 15th centuries. The name's earliest roots can be traced back to the Dutch phrase "van de dijk," which translates to "from the dike" or "from the embankment."
In the Netherlands and Flanders, dikes played a crucial role in land reclamation and flood control, leading to the development of many place names incorporating the word "dijk." The VANDYKE surname may have been initially used to identify individuals who lived near a specific dike or worked as dike builders or maintainers.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the VANDYKE surname is found in the Guelderland province of the Netherlands, where a Johan van de Dijc is mentioned in a document dated 1387. Another early record comes from the city of Bruges in modern-day Belgium, where a Pieter van den Dijcke is listed in a census from 1466.
The name VANDYKE has undergone various spellings over time, including van de Dijc, van den Dijcke, Van der Dyck, and Van Dijck. These variations reflect regional linguistic differences and the evolving orthography of the Dutch language.
One of the most famous individuals to bear the VANDYKE surname was the Flemish painter Sir Anthony van Dyck (1599-1641), renowned for his portraiture and considered one of the greatest Baroque artists. His distinctive style of facial hair, characterized by a pointed beard and mustache, became known as the "Van Dyke" beard.
Other notable figures with the VANDYKE surname include:
- Jacob van der Dycke (c. 1575-1632), a Dutch Golden Age painter
- Hendrick van der Dycke (c. 1590-1637), a Flemish painter and brother of Jacob
- William Vandyke (1856-1932), an American lawyer and politician from Pennsylvania
- Stephen Van Dyck (1930-2012), an American actor and voice artist
While the VANDYKE surname originated in the Low Countries, it has since spread to various parts of the world due to migration and intermarriage. However, its roots remain firmly tied to the historical significance of dikes in the Netherlands and Flanders, serving as a testament to the region's long-standing struggle against the elements and its ingenuity in land management.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vandyke
Among Census respondents with the surname Vandyke, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Black (4.8%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Vandyke 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 Vandyke surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.7% · 14,443
- Black or African American4.8% · 785
- Two or more races3.6% · 589
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 480
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 100
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 64
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vandyke
Vandyke 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
#2,131
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,030
+556 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 5.77
Rank movement Down 112 places
2020
#2,146
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,461
-569 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 5.51
Rank movement Down 15 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,019 | 16,474 | 6.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,131 | 17,030 | 5.77 | +556 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 112 places |
| 2020 | #2,146 | 16,461 | 5.51 | -569 bearers (-3.3%) | Down 15 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 Vandyke 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 | #2,131 | #2,146 | -0.7% |
| Count | 17,030 | 16,461 | -3.3% |
| Per 100K | 5.77 | 5.51 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vandyke bearers went from 17,030 to 16,461 (-3.3% change). The surname moved down 15 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,131 to #2,146.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Vandyke
FAQ
Vandyke surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vandyke?
Name Census estimates that about 18,876 living Americans carry the surname Vandyke. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 18,158 residents.
How common is Vandyke?
Vandyke ranks #2,146 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.51 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 16,461 people with the surname Vandyke. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (18,876), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.51 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.51 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Vandyke.
Has Vandyke become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vandyke went from 17,030 recorded bearers to 16,461. That is a decrease of 569 (-3.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,131 to #2,146.
What does the Census say about the background of Vandyke?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vandyke, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Black (4.8%) 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 Vandyke in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.7% (14,443 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vandyke appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.7%), Black (4.8%), 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 Vandyke (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 Vandyke mean?
A Dutch toponymic surname referring to someone from the town of Dijck or living near a dike. 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 Vandyke (5.51 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 Americans have the surname Vandyke?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.