Vidal
A masculine name of undetermined etymology, possibly derived from Latin words meaning life or vital.
Name Census estimates that about 3,602 living Americans carry the first name Vidal. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Vidal today is around 37 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Vidal births was 1972 (166 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Vidal. 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.
People living today
3.6K
~ 1 in 95,157 Americans
Peak year
1972
166 babies that year
Average age
37
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,200
Tracked since 1909
Census
Vidal in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 6,053 people with the first name Vidal, which placed it at #3,435 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#3,435
National first-name rank
People counted
6.1K
6,053 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
2.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
88.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vidal
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Vidal is Hispanic at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Black (6.5%) and White (2.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Vidal 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 name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Vidal at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino88.6% · 5,362
- Black or African American6.5% · 395
- White2.2% · 132
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 101
- Two or more races0.6% · 36
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 27
Gender
Gender distribution for Vidal
Out of the 4,208 babies given the name Vidal since 1880, 99.8% were registered as male. The name sits firmly on the male side of the spectrum, with only a handful of female registrations across the entire dataset.
Vidal as a male name
- Ranked #3,200 in 2024
- 38 male births in 2024
- Peak: 1972 (161 births)
Vidal as a female name
- Ranked #13,204 in 1987
- 5 female births in 1987
- Peak: 1972 (5 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Vidal leans strongly male. 5,960 people counted with this name were male (98.4%), compared with 98 female bearers (1.6%).
Popularity
Vidal: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Vidal from the 1900s through to the 2020s, spanning 13 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 751 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Vidal 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 Vidal during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Vidals live
The SSA's state-level files cover 17 states and territories. Texas, California, New York recorded the most babies named Vidal, while New Jersey, Massachusetts, Louisiana recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 144 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Vidal
The name Vidal has its origins in the Latin language and can be traced back to the Roman Empire era. It is derived from the Latin word "vitalis," which means "life" or "vital." The name is believed to have been used as a surname initially, referring to someone who was lively or full of life.
During the Middle Ages, the name Vidal gained popularity across Europe, particularly in regions that were influenced by Latin culture, such as Italy, Spain, and France. It was often used as a first name, reflecting the desire to bestow a sense of vitality and liveliness upon the bearer.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Vidal can be found in the writings of the 12th-century Spanish scholar and poet, Vidal de Besalú. He was a renowned figure in the literary circles of his time and contributed significantly to the development of Catalan literature.
In the 14th century, Vidal de Caserta, an Italian painter from Naples, gained recognition for his frescoes and religious works of art. His name has been documented in various historical records from that period, further solidifying the use of Vidal as a given name.
The name Vidal has also been associated with several notable figures throughout history. One of the most famous bearers of this name was Vidal Sassoon, the influential British hairstylist and businessman, who revolutionized the hair styling industry in the 20th century. He was born in 1928 and passed away in 2012.
Another individual of historical significance was Vidal Blanc, a French painter and illustrator from the 19th century. He was known for his depictions of Parisian life and contributed to the Impressionist movement with his vibrant and lively artworks.
In the literary realm, Vidal Naquet, a French historian and philosopher, made significant contributions to the study of ancient Greek civilization. He was born in 1930 and passed away in 2006, leaving behind a prolific body of work that explored various aspects of Greek history and culture.
Vidal Mayor, a Spanish writer and journalist from the 20th century, is also noteworthy. He played a prominent role in the cultural and literary landscape of his time, publishing numerous books and articles that reflected his keen observation of society and human nature.
Throughout its history, the name Vidal has been associated with individuals who embodied a sense of vibrancy and liveliness, reflecting the essence of its Latin roots. From scholars and artists to writers and intellectuals, the name has left an indelible mark across various fields and cultures.
People
Vidal + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Vidal 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
Vidal: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Vidal?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 3,602 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Vidal 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 95,157 US residents.
Is Vidal a common name?
We classify Vidal as "Rare". It ranks above 95.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 4,208 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Vidal most popular?
The single biggest year for Vidal was 1972, when 166 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Vidal is about 37 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Vidal in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 6,053 people with the name Vidal, or 2.00 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #3,435 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Vidal in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Vidal?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Vidal leans strongly male. 5,960 people counted with this name were male (98.4%), compared with 98 female bearers (1.6%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Vidal?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Vidal is Hispanic at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Black (6.5%) and White (2.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Vidal most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Vidal in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.6% (5,362 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Vidal in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Vidal a male name?
Yes, 99.8% of people registered as Vidal 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 Vidal still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Vidal 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 Vidal 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.
How many people have Vidal as a first name?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.