2010
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Vanruler
A Dutch or Flemish surname derived from the phrase "van der Ruiler", referring to someone from a place named Ruiler.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Vanruler. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vanruler 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Vanruler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanruler, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Black (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vanruler
The surname VANRULER has its origins in the Netherlands, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Dutch words "van" meaning "from" and "ruler" referring to a person who governed or ruled over a specific region or territory.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the VANRULER name appears in the archives of the city of Utrecht in 1587, when a merchant named Pieter VANRULER was granted citizenship. This suggests that the name may have originated in the Utrecht region, or possibly from a smaller town or village within the province.
During the 17th century, the VANRULER name gained prominence in the Dutch Republic, particularly in the province of Overijssel. Records from the town of Zwolle indicate that a family with the surname VANRULER owned a large estate and held influential positions in local government.
In the late 18th century, a notable figure bearing the VANRULER name was Hendrik VANRULER (1743-1812), a respected jurist and legal scholar who served as a judge in the city of Arnhem. His treatises on Dutch civil law were widely studied and cited by his contemporaries.
As the Dutch colonial empire expanded in the 17th and 18th centuries, some individuals with the VANRULER surname migrated to the Dutch East Indies (present-day Indonesia) and the Cape Colony (present-day South Africa). One such individual was Jan VANRULER (1672-1738), a merchant and trader who established a successful business in Batavia (now Jakarta).
Another prominent VANRULER was Maria VANRULER (1805-1879), a pioneering educator and advocate for women's rights in the Netherlands. She founded one of the first schools for girls in Amsterdam and campaigned tirelessly for equal educational opportunities for women.
In the 20th century, the VANRULER name gained recognition in the field of art and literature. Willem VANRULER (1914-1987) was a renowned Dutch painter and sculptor, known for his abstract expressionist works that explored themes of human existence and the natural world.
These are just a few examples of the rich history and notable individuals associated with the VANRULER surname, which has its roots in the Netherlands and has left its mark across various fields and regions over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vanruler
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanruler, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Black (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Vanruler 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 Vanruler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.7% · 104
- Two or more races2.7% · 3
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vanruler
Vanruler appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-5 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,516 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 5,516 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 Vanruler 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 | #143,149 | #148,665 | -3.9% |
| Count | 116 | 111 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vanruler bearers went from 116 to 111 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 5,516 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #148,665.
FAQ
Vanruler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vanruler?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Vanruler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Vanruler?
Vanruler ranks #148,665 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 111 people with the surname Vanruler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Vanruler.
Has Vanruler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vanruler went from 116 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Vanruler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanruler, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Black (1.8%). 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 Vanruler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.7% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vanruler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.7%), Two or More Races (2.7%), Black (1.8%). 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 Vanruler (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 Vanruler mean?
A Dutch or Flemish surname derived from the phrase "van der Ruiler", referring to someone from a place named Ruiler. 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 Vanruler (0.04 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 Vanruler?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Vanruler at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.