2000
#686
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 45,763
First available Census row
Per 100,000 16.96
Uncommon Last name
Vance
Derived from Old English, referring to a person who lived near a fen or marsh.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 51,511 Americans carry the last name Vance. That puts it at #754 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 15.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 6,654 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vance 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Vance with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
52K
1 in 6,654
Census rank
#754
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
15.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
45K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 44,920 bearers of the surname Vance in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 15.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 754th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vance, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.8%. The next largest groups are Black (12.5%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vance
The surname Vance is of Norman-French origin and is derived from the Old French word "avanc," meaning "advancement" or "progress." It is believed to have originated in the 11th century during the Norman Conquest of England.
The name Vance is thought to have been first used as a descriptive surname, given to individuals who were considered progressive or ambitious in their pursuits. It may have been bestowed upon soldiers or nobles who distinguished themselves in battle or who advanced their status through their actions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Vance can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of land ownership commissioned by William the Conqueror. In this document, the name appears as "de Avanc," indicating its Norman-French roots.
During the Middle Ages, the name Vance began to spread across various regions of England, with several notable individuals bearing the name. One such person was Sir Henry de Vance, a knight who fought alongside King Edward III during the Hundred Years' War in the 14th century.
In Scotland, the Vance family established itself in the Borders region, where they held lands and played a prominent role in local affairs. One of the earliest recorded Scottish Vances was John Vance, who was granted lands in Dumfriesshire in the 16th century.
Another notable figure with the surname Vance was Sir John Vance, an Irish soldier and landowner who served as Governor of Londonderry during the 17th century. His descendants would go on to become influential members of the Anglo-Irish gentry in Ulster.
In the United States, the Vance family has a long and distinguished history, with several prominent individuals bearing the name. One of the earliest was David Vance, a Revolutionary War soldier from Pennsylvania who fought at the Battle of Trenton in 1776.
Other notable Vances include Zebulon Baird Vance, who served as Governor of North Carolina during the American Civil War, and Cyrus Roberts Vance, who served as Secretary of State under President Jimmy Carter in the late 1970s.
Throughout its history, the surname Vance has been associated with a sense of ambition, progress, and advancement, reflecting its Norman-French roots and the accomplishments of those who have borne the name over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vance
Among Census respondents with the surname Vance, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.8%. The next largest groups are Black (12.5%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Vance 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 Vance surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.8% · 35,378
- Black or African American12.5% · 5,598
- Two or more races4.2% · 1,880
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 1,507
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 292
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 265
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vance
Vance appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#737
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 47,324
+1,561 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 16.04
Rank movement Down 51 places
2020
#754
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 44,920
-2,404 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 15.03
Rank movement Down 17 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #686 | 45,763 | 16.96 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #737 | 47,324 | 16.04 | +1,561 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 51 places |
| 2020 | #754 | 44,920 | 15.03 | -2,404 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 17 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 Vance 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 | #737 | #754 | -2.3% |
| Count | 47,324 | 44,920 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 16.04 | 15.03 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vance bearers went from 47,324 to 44,920 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 17 positions in the national ranking, going from #737 to #754.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Vance
FAQ
Vance surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vance?
Name Census estimates that about 51,511 living Americans carry the surname Vance. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 6,654 residents.
How common is Vance?
Vance ranks #754 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 15.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 15 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 44,920 people with the surname Vance. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (51,511), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 15.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 15.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 15 of them to have the surname Vance.
Has Vance become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vance went from 47,324 recorded bearers to 44,920. That is a decrease of 2,404 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #737 to #754.
What does the Census say about the background of Vance?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vance, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.8%. The next largest groups are Black (12.5%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Vance in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.8% (35,378 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vance appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.8%), Black (12.5%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Vance (2000, 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 Vance mean?
Derived from Old English, referring to a person who lived near a fen or marsh. 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 Vance (15.03 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 common is the surname Vance?
If you just want to know how many people are called Vance, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.