VANDERBILT Surname Meaning and Origin

VANDERBILT Surname Meaning and Origin The Vanderbilt surname has two very different accepted origins: a topographic surname for someone living near a low hill, from the Middle Low German bulte, meaning mound or low hill.originally Van de Bylt, from Die Byltye, a nickname given to ship-carpenters in Holland. From the Dutch byltye, meaning a little hatchet or bill. Surname Origin: Dutch, North German Alternate Surname Spellings: VANDERBILDT, VAN DER BILT, VANDERBUILT   Where in the World is the VANDERBILT Surname Found? While it originated in the Netherlands, the Vanderbilt surname is now most prevalent in the United States, according to surname distribution data from Forebears. However, it is also somewhat common in Chile and Columbia. The name was more common in the United States during the 1880s than it is now, especially in the states of New York and New Jersey. The Vanderbilt surname is now most common based on percentage in the U.S. states of Alaska, Arkansas, New Jersey, Illinois, and Connecticut, according to  WorldNames PublicProfiler.   Famous People with the Last Name VANDERBILT Cornelius Vanderbilt -  head of the prominent American Vanderbilt family; became the wealthiest man in America in the mid-19th century through his shipping and railroad empiresAmy Vanderbilt - American authority on etiquetteGloria Vanderbilt -  American artist, author, actress, and heiress, well known for her line of designer blue jeans from the 1970s and 80s.George Washington Vanderbilt, II - member of the prominent Vanderbilt family who commissioned the construction of Biltmore between 1889 and 1895; the estates name derived from Bildt, the origin of his Vanderbilt ancestors in Holland. The Famous VANDERBILT Family The prominent American Vanderbilt empire began with Cornelius Commodore Vanderbilt, born in Staten Island in 1794. His 3rd-great grandfather, Jan Aertszoon (1620–1705), a Dutch farmer from the village of De Bilt in Utrecht, Netherlands, was the immigrant ancestor, arriving in the Dutch Colony of New Netherland as an indentured servant in 1650. When he was sixteen, Cornelius, the fourth of nine children, convinced his parents to lend him $100 to purchase a sailboat so that he could start his own passenger and freight service between Staten Island and New York City, a service that eventually became known as the famous Staten Island Ferry.  Young Cornelius then signed on as an apprentice on a variety of ships in order to master all aspects of the seagoing industry. By the age of 50, his shipping empire had afforded him millionaire status. He then turned to buying up  small railroads and turning them into profitable ventures. At the time of his death in 1877, Cornelius Vanderbilt was worth  $105 million. Anderson Cooper, son of Gloria Laura Vanderbilt, is currently the only known prominent, active descendant of the famous Vanderbilt family.   Genealogy Resources for the Surname VANDERBILT Vanderbilt Family Genealogy: My Fascination with All Things VanderbiltTaneya Koonce, who fell in love with the Vanderbilt family after visiting the Biltmore estate for the first time, has built a comprehensive family tree of the Vanderbilt family, and also links to other Vanderbilt resources. Finding Your Roots: Anderson Coopers Interactive Family TreeThe PBS genealogy show, Finding Your Roots, traces the lesser-known heritage of Vanderbilt descendant Anderson Cooper- that of his father, Wyatt Emory Cooper.   Most Common Dutch Surnames and their MeaningsDe Jong, Jansen, De Vries... Are you one of the millions of  individuals of  Dutch ancestry sporting one of these top common last names from the Netherlands?   Vanderbilt Family Crest - Its Not What You ThinkContrary to what you may hear, there is no such thing as a Vanderbilt family crest or coat of arms for the Vanderbilt surname.  Coats of arms are granted to individuals, not families, and may rightfully be used only by the uninterrupted male line descendants of the person to whom the coat of arms was originally granted. FamilySearch - VANDERBILT GenealogyExplore over 400,000 historical records and lineage-linked family trees posted for the Vanderbilt surname and its variations on the free FamilySearch website, hosted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. VANDERBILT Surname Family Mailing ListsRootsWeb hosts several free mailing lists for researchers of the Vanderbilt surname. DistantCousin.com - VANDERBILT Genealogy Family HistoryExplore free databases and genealogy links for the last name Vanderbilt. The Vanderbilt Genealogy and Family Tree PageBrowse genealogy records and links to genealogical and historical records for individuals with the popular last name Vanderbilt from the website of Genealogy Today.- References: Surname Meanings Origins Cottle, Basil.  Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967. Dorward, David.  Scottish Surnames. Collins Celtic (Pocket edition), 1998. Fucilla, Joseph.  Our Italian Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 2003. Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges.  A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989. Hanks, Patrick.  Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003. Reaney, P.H.  A Dictionary of English Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1997. Smith, Elsdon C.  American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997. Back toGlossary of Surname Meanings Origins