Vandal
A Germanic name meaning "wandering people" or "wanderers".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Vandal. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Vandal today is around 4 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Vandal births was 2022 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Vandal. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Vandal. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2022
5 babies that year
Average age
4
years old
2022 SSA rank
#14,178
Tracked since 2022
Popularity
Vandal: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Vandal by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Vandal during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Vandal
The given name Vandal has its origins in the Germanic tribe of the Vandals, who roamed across Europe from around the 2nd century to the 7th century AD. The name is derived from the Germanic word "wandljoz", meaning "wanderer" or "nomad", reflecting the migratory lifestyle of the Vandal people.
The Vandals were known for their conquest of Roman territories, including the sacking of Rome in 455 AD under the leadership of their king, Genseric. This event left an indelible mark on history, and the name Vandal became synonymous with destruction and barbarism, leading to the modern usage of the word "vandalism".
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Vandal can be found in the ancient Roman historian Tacitus' work "Germania", where he mentions the Vandals as a Germanic tribe residing in the region of modern-day Poland and western Ukraine.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals bearing the name Vandal. One of the most famous was Genseric, the Vandal king who led the sacking of Rome in 455 AD. Another notable figure was Gelimer, the last Vandal king, who was defeated and captured by the Byzantine general Belisarius in 534 AD, effectively ending the Vandal kingdom in North Africa.
In the Middle Ages, a notable figure named Vandal appears in the Nibelungenlied, a famous German epic poem from around the 13th century. In this work, Vandal is depicted as a warrior accompanying the legendary hero Siegfried.
During the Renaissance period, there was a German scholar and humanist named Vandal Rendius (1474-1545), who made significant contributions to the study of classical literature and languages.
In more recent times, Vandal Shippe (1859-1949) was a renowned American architect known for his work in the Beaux-Arts style, including the design of several prominent buildings in New York City.
While the name Vandal may have negative connotations due to its association with the destructive acts of the historical Vandal tribe, it has also been embraced by some individuals as a unique and distinctive name, serving as a reminder of the rich history and cultural heritage of the Germanic peoples.
People
Vandal + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Vandal as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with V
Other first names starting with V with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Vandal: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Vandal?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Vandal going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Vandal a common name?
We classify Vandal as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Vandal most popular?
The single biggest year for Vandal was 2022, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Vandal is about 4 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Vandal in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Vandal a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Vandal in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Vandal still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Vandal in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Vandal can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many Americans are named Vandal?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.