How common is the surname Van?

10,798 people in the United States had the surname Van in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 28,593 Americans. It ranked 3,320th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Van?

Bobby Van, American actor and game show host (1928-1980), followed by Beatrice Van.

Where is the surname Van most common?

Wikidata records people named Van in the United States.

Is the surname Van getting more or less common?

Less common. 12,531 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 10,798 in 2010, down 14%.

Is Van also a first name?

Yes. Van is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Van

A surname, carried by 10,798 people in the United States.

1 syllable Soundex V500 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Van is more common than 98% of them.

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 10,798 people named Van in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 28,593 Americans. That is down 14% since 2000, when the Census counted 12,531.

#3,320

rank among US surnames

10,798

people in 2010

3.7

per 100,000 Americans

-13.8%

change since 2000 (was #2,653)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#3,312	Seibert	10,826	28,519
#3,313	Briseno	10,821	28,532
#3,315	Nolen	10,820	28,535
#3,316	Hardesty	10,817	28,543
#3,317	Pauley	10,809	28,564
#3,318	Haddad	10,804	28,577
#3,319	Reiter	10,802	28,582

Who is named Van

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

67% of people named Van identified as Asian and Pacific Islander, 22% as white (not Hispanic) and 6.3% as Black (not Hispanic).

Asian and Pacific Islander 67%
White (not Hispanic) 22%
Black (not Hispanic) 6.3%
Two or more races 2.1%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 1.8%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.4%

Compare: most common surnames among Asian and Pacific Islander Americans.

Famous Vans

4 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Bobby Van
American actor and game show host (1928-1980)
Beatrice Van
American actress (1890-1983)
Elizabeth Van Lew
American civil war spy (1818-1900)
Jessika Van
Asian American actress, born 1985

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Van

Van has the Soundex code V500, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code V500.

Questions

How common is the surname Van?: 10,798 people in the United States had the surname Van in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 28,593 Americans. It ranked 3,320th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Van?: In the 2010 Census, 67% of people named Van identified as Asian and Pacific Islander, and 22% as white (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Van?: Bobby Van, American actor and game show host (1928-1980), followed by Beatrice Van.
Where is the surname Van most common?: Wikidata records people named Van in the United States.
Is the surname Van getting more or less common?: Less common. 12,531 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 10,798 in 2010, down 14%.
Is Van also a first name?: Yes. Van is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.