2000
#837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 37,591
First available Census row
Per 100,000 13.93
Uncommon Last name
Vaughan
A Welsh surname derived from the given name Vaughn, meaning "small" or "younger" in Welsh.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 43,541 Americans carry the last name Vaughan. That puts it at #906 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 12.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 7,872 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vaughan 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 Vaughan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
44K
1 in 7,872
Census rank
#906
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
12.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
38K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 37,970 bearers of the surname Vaughan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 12.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 906th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vaughan, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.4%. The next largest groups are Black (12.2%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vaughan
The surname Vaughan originates from Wales and dates back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Welsh personal name "Vaughan" or "Fychan," which means "little" or "small." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone of smaller stature or a younger son.
The name Vaughan is found in various ancient records and manuscripts from Wales, including the Black Book of St. Davids, which dates back to the late 13th century. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Vacchan."
In the 14th century, the surname Vaughan was prominent in the Welsh counties of Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire. The name is associated with several place names in these regions, such as Vaughan's Field and Vaughan's Hill, reflecting the influence and landholdings of the Vaughan family.
Notable individuals with the surname Vaughan throughout history include Sir Walter Vaughan (1598-1639), a Welsh lawyer and politician who served as Attorney General for Wales. Another prominent figure was Sir William Vaughan (1577-1641), a Welsh entrepreneur and pioneer of the English colonial settlement in Newfoundland.
Henry Vaughan (1622-1695) was a Welsh metaphysical poet and physician, known for his religious poetry and renowned works such as "Silex Scintillans." His twin brother, Thomas Vaughan (1622-1666), was a renowned alchemist and philosopher who wrote under the pseudonym "Eugenius Philalethes."
In the 18th century, Samuel Vaughan (1720-1802) was a successful merchant and philanthropist in England and America, contributing to the establishment of several educational institutions and libraries.
Throughout its history, the surname Vaughan has also been associated with various spellings and variations, such as Vaughn, Vaugain, and Vaugain, reflecting regional and linguistic differences.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vaughan
Among Census respondents with the surname Vaughan, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.4%. The next largest groups are Black (12.2%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Vaughan 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 Vaughan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.4% · 30,134
- Black or African American12.2% · 4,636
- Two or more races3.9% · 1,478
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 1,260
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 261
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 201
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vaughan
Vaughan 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
#893
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 38,830
+1,239 bearers (+3.3%)
Per 100,000 13.16
Rank movement Down 56 places
2020
#906
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 37,970
-860 bearers (-2.2%)
Per 100,000 12.70
Rank movement Down 13 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #837 | 37,591 | 13.93 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #893 | 38,830 | 13.16 | +1,239 bearers (+3.3%) | Down 56 places |
| 2020 | #906 | 37,970 | 12.70 | -860 bearers (-2.2%) | Down 13 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 Vaughan 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 | #893 | #906 | -1.5% |
| Count | 38,830 | 37,970 | -2.2% |
| Per 100K | 13.16 | 12.70 | -3.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vaughan bearers went from 38,830 to 37,970 (-2.2% change). The surname moved down 13 positions in the national ranking, going from #893 to #906.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Vaughan
FAQ
Vaughan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vaughan?
Name Census estimates that about 43,541 living Americans carry the surname Vaughan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 7,872 residents.
How common is Vaughan?
Vaughan ranks #906 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 12.70 per 100,000 residents, which is about 13 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 37,970 people with the surname Vaughan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (43,541), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 12.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 12.70 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 13 of them to have the surname Vaughan.
Has Vaughan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vaughan went from 38,830 recorded bearers to 37,970. That is a decrease of 860 (-2.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #893 to #906.
What does the Census say about the background of Vaughan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vaughan, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.4%. The next largest groups are Black (12.2%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Vaughan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.4% (30,134 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vaughan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.4%), Black (12.2%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Vaughan (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 Vaughan mean?
A Welsh surname derived from the given name Vaughn, meaning "small" or "younger" in Welsh. 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 Vaughan (12.70 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 Vaughan?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.