Vanderpool
A Dutch-influenced surname meaning someone from a pool, pond, or water feature.
The #5,557 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 49,344 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Vanderpool is a Dutch-style surname built from van der, meaning “from the” or “of the,” plus pool, a word for a pool, pond, or small body of water. The name most likely began as a locational byname for someone who lived near such a place. In English-speaking countries it was often preserved in its Dutch spelling, especially in families of Dutch colonial background.
History
The name is especially associated with Dutch-American communities, where surnames beginning with van der were carried over from the Netherlands and New Netherland. In the United States it appears in records from the 19th century and later in several spelling variants. The form is sometimes treated as a single hereditary surname rather than a phrase.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Because van der is a common Dutch surname element, many Dutch-American surnames sound like place descriptions even when the original exact location is no longer known.
From the historical record
“its Prof TuLLocH. We have a Mr. Elm Burnside. Mr. DiTCHBURN, of Lynn, took out a patent, March, 1860. Mr. Vanderpool, of New Jersey, was an Anti- masonic delegate, 1830. Kentucky has its Judge Skillbeck, 1859. Among English authors are Ful- BECK and Hepburn. Mr. Goulburn was master of Eugby School. The Lord-Justice…”
— Suffolk Surnames (3rd ed.)