2000
#5,485
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,831
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.16
Rare Last name
Vaca
A Spanish occupational surname referring to a cowherd or one who tends cattle.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,730 Americans carry the last name Vaca. That puts it at #4,533 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.55 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 39,262 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vaca surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
8.7K
1 in 39,262
Census rank
#4,533
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,613 bearers of the surname Vaca in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.55 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4533rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vaca, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.9%. The next largest groups are White (6.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vaca
The surname VACA originated in Spain during the medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish word "vaca," meaning "cow." This name likely referred to someone who worked with cows, such as a cowherd or dairy farmer.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various records in the regions of Castile and Aragon. One of the earliest documented mentions was in the Becerro de Behetrías, a medieval census of Castile from 1352, which listed several individuals with the surname VACA.
During the 15th century, the VACA family gained prominence in the town of Trujillo, located in the province of Cáceres, Extremadura. Notably, Alonso Fernández de Lugo, also known as Alonso Fernández de Lugo y Vaca (1456-1525), was a Spanish conquistador and the first governor of the Canary Islands.
Another notable figure was Pedro de Vaca (1492-1567), a Spanish conquistador and explorer who was part of the Narváez expedition to Florida in 1527. He is best known for his journey across the American Southwest, which he documented in his book "Relación" (1542).
In the 16th century, the VACA surname spread across Spain and its colonies. Juan de Vaca (1540-1610) was a Spanish explorer and navigator who participated in several expeditions to the Pacific Ocean and the Philippines.
During the 17th century, the name appeared in various records in New Spain (present-day Mexico and the southwestern United States). One notable individual was Alonso de Vaca (1591-1667), a Spanish priest and bishop who served as the Bishop of Puebla de los Ángeles from 1640 to 1667.
In the 18th century, the VACA surname continued to be prominent in Spain and its colonies. Francisco de Vaca y Sarmiento (1703-1777) was a Spanish military officer and governor of New Mexico from 1756 to 1761.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vaca
Among Census respondents with the surname Vaca, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.9%. The next largest groups are White (6.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Vaca bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Vaca surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino92.9% · 7,071
- White6.1% · 462
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 44
- Two or more races0.2% · 16
- Black or African American0.1% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vaca
Vaca appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#4,444
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,982
+2,151 bearers (+36.9%)
Per 100,000 2.71
Rank movement Up 1,041 places
2020
#4,533
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,613
-369 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 2.55
Rank movement Down 89 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,485 | 5,831 | 2.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,444 | 7,982 | 2.71 | +2,151 bearers (+36.9%) | Up 1,041 places |
| 2020 | #4,533 | 7,613 | 2.55 | -369 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 89 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Vaca surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #4,444 | #4,533 | -2.0% |
| Count | 7,982 | 7,613 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 2.71 | 2.55 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vaca bearers went from 7,982 to 7,613 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 89 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,444 to #4,533.
FAQ
Vaca surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vaca?
Name Census estimates that about 8,730 living Americans carry the surname Vaca. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 39,262 residents.
How common is Vaca?
Vaca ranks #4,533 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.55 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,613 people with the surname Vaca. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,730), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.55 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.55 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Vaca.
Has Vaca become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vaca went from 7,982 recorded bearers to 7,613. That is a decrease of 369 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,444 to #4,533.
What does the Census say about the background of Vaca?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vaca, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.9%. The next largest groups are White (6.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.6%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Vaca in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.9% (7,071 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vaca appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (92.9%), White (6.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.6%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Vaca (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Vaca mean?
A Spanish occupational surname referring to a cowherd or one who tends cattle. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Vaca (2.55 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Vaca?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Vaca on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.