2000
#26,738
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 856
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.32
Very Rare Last name
Vanleer
A Dutch surname indicating geographic origin near a town or location called Leer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 935 Americans carry the last name Vanleer. That puts it at #30,637 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 366,582 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vanleer 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
935
1 in 366,582
Census rank
#30,637
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
815
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 815 bearers of the surname Vanleer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 30637th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanleer, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.4%. The next largest groups are Black (18.3%) and Hispanic (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vanleer
The surname VANLEER has its origins in the Netherlands, with records dating back to the 17th century. It is believed to have derived from the Dutch word "leer," meaning "leather," and likely referred to an occupation or trade related to leather-working. The prefix "van" in Dutch surnames often indicated a person's place of origin or residence.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the VANLEER surname can be found in the Dutch Reformed Church records of New Amsterdam (present-day New York City) in the late 1600s. This suggests that the VANLEER family may have been among the early Dutch settlers in the New Netherland colony.
In the 18th century, the VANLEER surname appeared in various parts of the American colonies, particularly in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Notable individuals from this period include Johannes VANLEER, a Dutch immigrant to Pennsylvania in the early 1700s, and Abraham VANLEER, who served in the Revolutionary War.
As the VANLEER family spread across the United States in the 19th century, some variations in spelling emerged, such as VANLEER and VAN LEER. One prominent figure was Isaac VANLEER (1772-1836), a U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania who also served as a judge.
In the 20th century, the VANLEER surname gained recognition through the philanthropic efforts of the VanLeer family, who established the VanLeer Charitable Trust in the Netherlands. This trust supported various educational and cultural initiatives, including the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute.
Other notable individuals with the VANLEER surname include John VANLEER (1820-1884), a Union Army officer during the American Civil War, and Charles VANLEER (1876-1963), an American businessman and co-founder of the Eagle Pencil Company.
Throughout its history, the VANLEER surname has maintained a strong connection to its Dutch roots, while also becoming widely dispersed across various regions of the United States and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vanleer
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanleer, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.4%. The next largest groups are Black (18.3%) and Hispanic (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Vanleer 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 Vanleer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.4% · 598
- Black or African American18.3% · 149
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 39
- Two or more races3.3% · 27
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.1% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vanleer
Vanleer 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
#25,152
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 986
+130 bearers (+15.2%)
Per 100,000 0.33
Rank movement Up 1,586 places
2020
#30,637
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 815
-171 bearers (-17.3%)
Per 100,000 0.27
Rank movement Down 5,485 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #26,738 | 856 | 0.32 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #25,152 | 986 | 0.33 | +130 bearers (+15.2%) | Up 1,586 places |
| 2020 | #30,637 | 815 | 0.27 | -171 bearers (-17.3%) | Down 5,485 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 Vanleer 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 | #25,152 | #30,637 | -21.8% |
| Count | 986 | 815 | -17.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.33 | 0.27 | -17.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vanleer bearers went from 986 to 815 (-17.3% change). The surname moved down 5,485 positions in the national ranking, going from #25,152 to #30,637.
FAQ
Vanleer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vanleer?
Name Census estimates that about 935 living Americans carry the surname Vanleer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 366,582 residents.
How common is Vanleer?
Vanleer ranks #30,637 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.27 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 815 people with the surname Vanleer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (935), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.27 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 Vanleer.
Has Vanleer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vanleer went from 986 recorded bearers to 815. That is a decrease of 171 (-17.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #25,152 to #30,637.
What does the Census say about the background of Vanleer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanleer, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.4%. The next largest groups are Black (18.3%) and Hispanic (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 Vanleer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.4% (598 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vanleer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.4%), Black (18.3%), Hispanic (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 Vanleer (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 Vanleer mean?
A Dutch surname indicating geographic origin near a town or location called Leer. 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 Vanleer (0.27 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 Vanleer?
Find out how many people have the last name Vanleer on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.