2000
#2,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,826
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.75
Uncommon Last name
Vitale
Derived from the Italian word "vitale," meaning "life," signifying a lively or vigorous person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 14,292 Americans carry the last name Vitale. That puts it at #2,810 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 23,982 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vitale 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 Vitale with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
14K
1 in 23,982
Census rank
#2,810
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,463 bearers of the surname Vitale in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2810th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vitale, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vitale
The surname Vitale originated from Italy, with its roots dating back to ancient Roman times. The name is derived from the Latin word "vitalis," which means "life" or "lively." This suggests that the name may have initially been a nickname given to someone who exhibited a vibrant or energetic personality.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Vitale surname can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Cavensis, a medieval cartulary from the Monastery of Cava in southern Italy, dating back to the 11th century. The name appears in various forms, such as "Vitalis" and "Vitale," indicating its longevity and geographical spread across the Italian peninsula.
During the Middle Ages, the Vitale surname gained prominence in various regions of Italy, particularly in the southern regions of Campania, Puglia, and Sicily. Records from this period show that members of the Vitale family held positions of importance, including noblemen, merchants, and landowners.
One notable figure from the 13th century was Vitale Michele, a renowned Sicilian jurist and legal scholar who served as a judge under the rule of Emperor Frederick II. His contributions to the legal system of the time were significant, and his works on Roman law were widely studied.
In the 14th century, the Vitale name appeared in the historical records of the Republic of Venice, where members of the family held influential positions in the city's governance and commerce. One such individual was Vitale Falier, a prominent Venetian merchant and diplomat who played a crucial role in establishing trade agreements with the Byzantine Empire.
As the centuries progressed, the Vitale surname continued to spread throughout Italy and beyond. In the 16th century, Giovanni Battista Vitale, a renowned architect from Palermo, Sicily, left his mark on the city's architectural landscape with his design of the Chiesa di Santa Caterina d'Alessandria, a beautiful Baroque church.
Another notable figure was Tommaso Vitale, a Neapolitan painter who lived in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. His works, showcasing the Baroque style, adorned many churches and palaces in Naples and its surrounding regions, earning him recognition as a skilled artist of his time.
The Vitale surname has also been associated with various place names across Italy, such as Vitale di Montecorvino in the province of Foggia, Puglia, and Vitale di Reggio Calabria in the region of Calabria. These place names likely originated from the presence of Vitale families in those areas, reflecting their influence and ties to the local communities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vitale
Among Census respondents with the surname Vitale, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Vitale 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 Vitale surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.9% · 11,451
- Hispanic or Latino5.0% · 618
- Two or more races1.9% · 238
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 107
- Black or African American0.3% · 40
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vitale
Vitale 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
#2,725
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,220
+394 bearers (+3.1%)
Per 100,000 4.48
Rank movement Down 132 places
2020
#2,810
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,463
-757 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 4.17
Rank movement Down 85 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,593 | 12,826 | 4.75 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,725 | 13,220 | 4.48 | +394 bearers (+3.1%) | Down 132 places |
| 2020 | #2,810 | 12,463 | 4.17 | -757 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 85 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 Vitale 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 | #2,725 | #2,810 | -3.1% |
| Count | 13,220 | 12,463 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 4.48 | 4.17 | -6.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vitale bearers went from 13,220 to 12,463 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 85 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,725 to #2,810.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Vitale
FAQ
Vitale surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vitale?
Name Census estimates that about 14,292 living Americans carry the surname Vitale. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 23,982 residents.
How common is Vitale?
Vitale ranks #2,810 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.17 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 12,463 people with the surname Vitale. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (14,292), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.17 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Vitale.
Has Vitale become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vitale went from 13,220 recorded bearers to 12,463. That is a decrease of 757 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,725 to #2,810.
What does the Census say about the background of Vitale?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vitale, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Vitale in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (11,451 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vitale appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.9%), Hispanic (5.0%), Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Vitale (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 Vitale mean?
Derived from the Italian word "vitale," meaning "life," signifying a lively or vigorous person. 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 Vitale (4.17 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 people are called Vitale?
Find out how common the surname Vitale is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.