Explore the Family Name Van Hecke

The meaning of Van Hecke

Flemish (also Vanhecke) and Dutch: habitational name for someone from any of various minor places called (ten) Hekke, from Dutch hek ‘fench’, for example in East and West Flanders. This surname is also found in France (Nord). Some characteristic forenames: French Henri, Napoleon, Raoul, Rolande.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Van Hecke in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Van Hecke saw a modest increase in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked 41,382, while in 2010, it rose to 40,313—a change of 2.58%. The count of individuals with this surname also increased from 496 to 543 during the same period, marking a 9.48% growth. However, the proportion of individuals with this surname per 100,000 population remained unchanged at 0.18.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#41,382	#40,313	2.58%
Count	496	543	9.48%
Proportion per 100k	0.18	0.18	0%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Van Hecke

The ethnicity associated with the surname Van Hecke showed some shifts according to data from the Decennial U.S. Census. The percentage of those identifying as White decreased slightly from 94.15% in 2000 to 90.79% in 2010. Meanwhile, the Hispanic representation within this group increased by 34.11%, from 3.02% to 4.05%. Those identifying as part of two or more ethnic identities also saw an increase, from 2.02% to 2.21%. For the first time in 2010, a small percentage (1.47%) identified as Asian/Pacific Islander. However, there were no recorded changes for those identifying as Black or American Indian and Alaskan Native.

	2000	2010	Change
White	94.15%	90.79%	-3.57%
Hispanic	3.02%	4.05%	34.11%
Two or More Races	2.02%	2.21%	9.41%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0%	1.47%	0%
Black	0%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%