Vice
A French-derived name literally meaning "substitute" or "deputy".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Vice. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Vice today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Vice births was 2013 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Vice. 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 Vice. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2013
5 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2013 SSA rank
#13,940
Tracked since 2013
Popularity
Vice: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Vice 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 Vice during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Vice
The name Vice is derived from the Latin word "vitium," meaning "fault" or "defect." Its origins can be traced back to ancient Rome, where it was initially used as a descriptive term rather than a given name.
In the early days of Christianity, the concept of vice was often contrasted with virtue, representing moral failings and sinful behavior. This association with immorality and wrongdoing likely contributed to the name's somewhat unconventional usage as a given name in later centuries.
One of the earliest recorded instances of Vice as a given name dates back to the 14th century, when a man named Vice de Vyllefraunche was mentioned in the records of the Parliament of Paris in 1372. This suggests that the name, although rare, had begun to gain some traction as a personal identifier during the medieval period.
Throughout history, there have been a few notable individuals who bore the name Vice. One such figure was Vice Lintilhac (1887-1944), a French writer and journalist who was active in the early 20th century. Another was Vice Simatović (1913-1986), a Serbian communist and participant in the Yugoslav Partisan movement during World War II.
In the realm of religion, there was Vice Bonaviri (1495-1572), an Italian Roman Catholic prelate who served as the Bishop of Cava de' Tirreni from 1562 until his death. Additionally, Vice Saladini (1865-1953) was an Italian Roman Catholic priest and philosopher who made contributions to the field of Thomistic studies.
One of the more intriguing historical figures with the name Vice was Vice Bughyn (fl. 1510-1530), an English Renaissance composer who lived during the reign of King Henry VIII. Although little is known about his personal life, some of his compositions have survived to this day, providing a glimpse into the musical culture of that era.
While the name Vice has certainly been uncommon throughout history, these examples demonstrate its occasional usage across various cultures and time periods, often carrying connotations of moral ambiguity or unconventionality.
People
Vice + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Vice 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
Vice: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Vice?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Vice 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 Vice a common name?
We classify Vice 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 Vice most popular?
The single biggest year for Vice was 2013, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Vice is about 13 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 Vice in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Vice a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Vice 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 Vice still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Vice 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 Vice 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 people are named Vice?
Find out how many people have the name Vice on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.