2000
#32,609
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 664
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.25
Very Rare Last name
Vane
A surname likely derived from the English place name 'Vane' or 'Vain', referring to someone who lived near a vane.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 786 Americans carry the last name Vane. That puts it at #35,388 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 436,074 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vane 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 Vane with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
786
1 in 436,074
Census rank
#35,388
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
685
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 685 bearers of the surname Vane in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 35388th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vane, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and Black (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vane
The surname Vane is of Anglo-Saxon origin and is believed to have derived from the Old English word "fana" or "fane," meaning a flag, banner, or weathervane. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to a flag-bearer or someone responsible for carrying a banner, perhaps in a military or ceremonial context.
The name Vane can be traced back to various areas of England, particularly in the northern counties of Yorkshire, Durham, and Northumberland. It is also found in records from the 13th century, such as the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it appears as "de la Vane" and "de la Vayne."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Vane is in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Vane" and "de Vane." This suggests that the name was already well-established in England by the time of the Norman Conquest.
The Vane family has a long and distinguished history in England. Sir Henry Vane the Elder (1589-1655) was a prominent statesman and colonial governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony. His son, Sir Henry Vane the Younger (1613-1662), was a leading figure in the English Civil War and a member of the Parliamentary side.
Another notable figure bearing the surname Vane was Sir Francis Vane (1564-1609), an English diplomat and Member of Parliament. He served as the English ambassador to Denmark and France during the reign of King James I.
In the 18th century, Sir Walter Vane (1712-1789) was a British naval officer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for various constituencies. He also held the position of First Lord of the Admiralty from 1769 to 1770.
The Vane family has also been associated with several place names in England, such as Vane Tempest in Durham and Vane Farm in Lincolnshire. These place names may have originally referred to areas owned or occupied by individuals bearing the surname Vane.
Throughout its history, the surname Vane has undergone various spellings, including Vaine, Vaine, and Vayne, reflecting the evolution of language and regional variations in pronunciation and spelling.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vane
Among Census respondents with the surname Vane, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and Black (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Vane 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 Vane surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.2% · 556
- Hispanic or Latino6.0% · 41
- Black or African American5.0% · 34
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.1% · 28
- Two or more races3.5% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vane
Vane 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
#39,486
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 557
-107 bearers (-16.1%)
Per 100,000 0.19
Rank movement Down 6,877 places
2020
#35,388
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 685
+128 bearers (+23.0%)
Per 100,000 0.23
Rank movement Up 4,098 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #32,609 | 664 | 0.25 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #39,486 | 557 | 0.19 | -107 bearers (-16.1%) | Down 6,877 places |
| 2020 | #35,388 | 685 | 0.23 | +128 bearers (+23.0%) | Up 4,098 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 Vane 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 | #39,486 | #35,388 | 10.4% |
| Count | 557 | 685 | 23.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.19 | 0.23 | 20.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vane bearers went from 557 to 685 (+23.0% change). The surname moved up 4,098 positions in the national ranking, going from #39,486 to #35,388.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Vane
FAQ
Vane surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vane?
Name Census estimates that about 786 living Americans carry the surname Vane. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 436,074 residents.
How common is Vane?
Vane ranks #35,388 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.23 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 685 people with the surname Vane. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (786), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.23 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Vane.
Has Vane become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vane went from 557 recorded bearers to 685. That is an increase of 128 (+23.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #39,486 to #35,388.
What does the Census say about the background of Vane?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vane, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and Black (5.0%). 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 Vane in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.2% (556 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vane appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.2%), Hispanic (6.0%), Black (5.0%). 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 Vane (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 Vane mean?
A surname likely derived from the English place name 'Vane' or 'Vain', referring to someone who lived near a vane. 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 Vane (0.23 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 many Americans have the surname Vane?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.