2000
#86,657
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 200
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.07
Very Rare Last name
Vanlier
A Dutch surname likely derived from a placename meaning "from Lier".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 229 Americans carry the last name Vanlier. That puts it at #97,359 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,496,744 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vanlier 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
229
1 in 1,496,744
Census rank
#97,359
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
200
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 200 bearers of the surname Vanlier in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 97359th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanlier, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.5%. The next largest groups are Black (18.0%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vanlier
The surname VANLIER originated in the Netherlands during the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. It is derived from the Dutch words "van" meaning "from" and "lier" referring to the town of Lier in the Antwerp province of Belgium. This suggests that the earliest bearers of the name VANLIER came from or resided in the town of Lier.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the VANLIER name can be found in the archives of Bruges, where a merchant named Jan VANLIER is mentioned in a document dated 1382. This suggests that the surname was already established by the late 14th century.
In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the VANLIER name was Pieter VANLIER, a renowned Flemish painter born in Antwerp around 1520. He was known for his religious works and portraits, and his paintings can be found in various churches and museums across Europe.
During the 17th century, the VANLIER name appears in the records of the Dutch East India Company (VOC), with a sea captain named Willem VANLIER mentioned in a logbook from 1642. This indicates that some individuals with the VANLIER surname were involved in the Dutch colonial expansion and maritime trade during this period.
Another notable figure was Jan VANLIER, a Dutch military engineer born in 1687. He served in the armies of several European powers and was involved in the construction and fortification of cities across Europe, including Antwerp, Bruges, and Ghent.
In the 18th century, a prominent member of the VANLIER family was Adriaen VANLIER, a Dutch artist and engraver born in Amsterdam in 1755. He was known for his landscapes and cityscapes, many of which depicted scenes from his native city.
As the VANLIER surname spread across Europe and beyond, it underwent some variations in spelling, such as VAN LIER, VANLIERE, and VAN LIERE. However, the core elements of the name, derived from the town of Lier, remained consistent throughout its history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vanlier
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanlier, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.5%. The next largest groups are Black (18.0%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Vanlier 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 Vanlier surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.5% · 149
- Black or African American18.0% · 36
- Two or more races4.5% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vanlier
Vanlier 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
#97,210
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 187
-13 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 10,553 places
2020
#97,359
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 200
+13 bearers (+7.0%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 149 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #86,657 | 200 | 0.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #97,210 | 187 | 0.06 | -13 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 10,553 places |
| 2020 | #97,359 | 200 | 0.07 | +13 bearers (+7.0%) | Down 149 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 Vanlier 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 | #97,210 | #97,359 | -0.2% |
| Count | 187 | 200 | 7.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.07 | 11.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vanlier bearers went from 187 to 200 (+7.0% change). The surname moved down 149 positions in the national ranking, going from #97,210 to #97,359.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Vanlier
FAQ
Vanlier surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vanlier?
Name Census estimates that about 229 living Americans carry the surname Vanlier. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,496,744 residents.
How common is Vanlier?
Vanlier ranks #97,359 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.07 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 200 people with the surname Vanlier. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (229), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.07 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 Vanlier.
Has Vanlier become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vanlier went from 187 recorded bearers to 200. That is an increase of 13 (+7.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #97,210 to #97,359.
What does the Census say about the background of Vanlier?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanlier, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.5%. The next largest groups are Black (18.0%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Vanlier in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.5% (149 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vanlier appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.5%), Black (18.0%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Vanlier (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 Vanlier mean?
A Dutch surname likely derived from a placename meaning "from Lier". 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 Vanlier (0.07 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 Vanlier?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Vanlier at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.