Vonzella
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly a combination of elements meaning "beautiful" or "true".
Name Census estimates that about 79 living Americans carry the first name Vonzella. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Vonzella today is around 68 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Vonzella births was 1950 (14 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Vonzella. 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
- • The typical person named Vonzella is about 68 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Vonzellas were born before 1968.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Vonzella. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
79
~ 1 in 4,338,663 Americans
Peak year
1950
14 babies that year
Average age
68
years old
1969 SSA rank
#7,459
Tracked since 1946
Census
Vonzella in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 138 people with the first name Vonzella, which placed it at #47,373 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
#47,373
National first-name rank
People counted
138
138 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
87.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vonzella
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Vonzella is Black at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and White (3.6%). 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 Vonzella 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 Vonzella at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American87.7% · 121
- Two or more races4.3% · 6
- White3.6% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 1
Popularity
Vonzella: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Vonzella from the 1940s through to the 1960s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 63 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1950s peak, Vonzella remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Vonzella 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 Vonzella during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Vonzellas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Vonzella
The name Vonzella has its roots in the African-American community, emerging in the early 20th century. It is believed to be a combination of the German prefix "von" and the English name "Zella," which means "dark beauty." The name's origins can be traced back to the Reconstruction era in the Southern United States, a period of social and cultural transformation for African Americans.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Vonzella was Vonzella Johnson, a renowned blues singer and songwriter from the 1920s. Born in 1908 in Kansas City, Missouri, she was known for her powerful vocals and her ability to convey the struggles and triumphs of African American life through her music.
Another notable figure with the name Vonzella was Vonzella McGee, an American actress and model. Born in 1942 in San Francisco, California, she appeared in several blaxploitation films in the 1970s, including "Blacula" and "Truck Turner." Her striking beauty and talent as an actress made her a cultural icon of that era.
In the realm of literature, Vonzella Mallette was a celebrated poet and author. Born in 1930 in Mississippi, her works explored themes of identity, race, and the African American experience. Her debut poetry collection, "Voices from the Quarters," was widely acclaimed for its raw honesty and lyrical quality.
Vonzella Bryant, born in 1962 in Alabama, was a civil rights activist and community leader. She dedicated her life to advocating for equal rights, access to education, and economic empowerment for marginalized communities. Her tireless efforts inspired generations of activists and changemakers.
Lastly, Vonzella Soloman was a pioneering entrepreneur and business leader in the late 19th century. Born in 1872 in Louisiana, she established one of the first successful African American-owned businesses in New Orleans, a hair care and beauty products company that catered to the needs of the local community.
While the name Vonzella may not have appeared in ancient texts or religious scriptures, its origins and the legacies of those who bore it are deeply rooted in the rich tapestry of African American history and culture.
People
Vonzella + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Vonzella 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
Vonzella: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Vonzella?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 79 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Vonzella 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 4,338,663 US residents.
Is Vonzella a common name?
We classify Vonzella as "Very Rare". It ranks above 61.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 111 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Vonzella most popular?
The single biggest year for Vonzella was 1950, when 14 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Vonzella is about 68 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Vonzella in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 138 people with the name Vonzella, or 0.05 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #47,373 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 Vonzella 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 Vonzella?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Vonzella appears almost entirely female. Of the 134 people counted with this name, 100.0% were female and only a very small share were male. 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 Vonzella?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Vonzella is Black at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and White (3.6%). 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 Vonzella most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Vonzella in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.7% (121 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 Vonzella in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Vonzella a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Vonzella in the SSA data are female. 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 Vonzella still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Vonzella 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 Vonzella 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 common is the name Vonzella?
If you just want to know how many people share the name Vonzella, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.