Vidale
A masculine name of Gallic and Italian origin meaning "from the valley".
Name Census estimates that about 12 living Americans carry the first name Vidale. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Vidale today is around 43 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Vidale births was 1993 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Vidale. 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 Vidale. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
12
~ 1 in 28,562,862 Americans
Peak year
1993
7 babies that year
Average age
43
years old
1993 SSA rank
#7,600
Tracked since 1972
Popularity
Vidale: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Vidale from the 1970s through to the 1990s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 7 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Vidale 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 Vidale during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Vidale
The name Vidale originates from the Italian language and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is a variation of the name Vidal, which is derived from the Latin name Vitalis, meaning "life" or "lively."
During the medieval period, the name Vidale was popular in various regions of Italy, particularly in the northern regions near the Alps. It was often associated with individuals from wealthy or noble families, as names with Latin roots were considered more prestigious.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Vidale can be found in the chronicles of the Italian city-state of Siena, where a nobleman named Vidale di Montaperti was mentioned in the 13th century. He played a significant role in the conflict between the Guelph and Ghibelline factions during the Italian Renaissance.
In the 14th century, a Franciscan friar named Vidale da Viterbo gained recognition for his preaching and teachings. He was known for his fervent sermons and efforts to promote peace and harmony among the warring factions in central Italy.
During the Renaissance period, the name Vidale was associated with several notable artists and intellectuals. One such individual was Vidale Piermaria, a painter from Verona who lived in the 16th century and was renowned for his religious and mythological works.
In the 19th century, Vidale Beccari, an Italian botanist and explorer, made significant contributions to the study of plant life in the Malay Archipelago. He was born in 1825 and is remembered for his extensive collections and research on the flora of Southeast Asia.
Another prominent figure bearing the name Vidale was Vidale Zuccoli, an Italian architect and urban planner who lived from 1856 to 1929. He was responsible for the design and construction of numerous public buildings and urban development projects in Milan and other Italian cities.
While the name Vidale has been most prevalent in Italy, it has also been adopted in other parts of the world, particularly among individuals with Italian heritage or connections. However, its use has been relatively limited compared to other Italian names, and it remains a unique and distinctive moniker.
People
Vidale + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Vidale 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
Vidale: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Vidale?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 12 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Vidale 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 28,562,862 US residents.
Is Vidale a common name?
We classify Vidale as "Very Rare". It ranks above 32.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 13 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Vidale most popular?
The single biggest year for Vidale was 1993, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Vidale is about 43 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 Vidale in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Vidale a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Vidale 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 Vidale still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Vidale 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 Vidale 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 Vidale?
Find out how many Americans are named Vidale on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.