2000
#9,828
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,035
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.13
Rare Last name
Vaden
Derived from a place name meaning "ford" in Old English, likely referring to someone who lived near a ford.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,415 Americans carry the last name Vaden. That puts it at #10,288 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.00 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 100,367 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vaden 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
3.4K
1 in 100,367
Census rank
#10,288
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,978 bearers of the surname Vaden in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.00 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10288th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vaden, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.2%. The next largest groups are Black (24.0%) and Hispanic (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vaden
The surname Vaden is believed to have originated in England and Scotland during the medieval period. It is thought to be a variant of the name Vauden or Vaudin, which is derived from the Old French personal name Vaudyn or Vaudyn. This name was popular in Normandy before the Norman Conquest of England in 1066.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Vaden can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership and tax records compiled in 1086 on the orders of William the Conqueror. In this document, the name is spelled as "Wadyn" and appears in reference to individuals living in various regions of England, including Lincolnshire and Norfolk.
During the 13th century, the name Vaden emerged as a distinct spelling variation, often associated with individuals from the Scottish Borders region. Records from this period indicate that the name was also represented as "Vadyn" or "Vadene" in some instances.
A notable figure bearing the surname Vaden was Sir John Vaden, a Scottish knight who fought alongside Robert the Bruce during the Wars of Scottish Independence in the early 14th century. Sir John Vaden was born around 1285 and played a significant role in several battles, including the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314.
Another historical figure with the surname Vaden was William Vaden, a merchant and landowner from Yorkshire, England, who lived in the late 15th century. Records from this time mention William Vaden's involvement in trade dealings and his acquisition of substantial land holdings in the region.
In the 16th century, the name Vaden appeared in various records across England and Scotland, often associated with families from rural areas or small villages. One such individual was Thomas Vaden, a farmer from Northumberland, England, who was born in 1542 and lived until 1612.
Towards the end of the 17th century, the surname Vaden began to spread to other parts of the British Isles and beyond, as people migrated and established new settlements. One notable figure from this period was James Vaden, an Irish-born sailor who served in the Royal Navy during the late 1600s and participated in several naval engagements against the French and Spanish fleets.
In the 18th century, the name Vaden continued to be found in various parts of the United Kingdom, with records indicating individuals bearing this surname residing in regions such as Yorkshire, Lancashire, and the Scottish Highlands. One prominent individual from this era was Robert Vaden, a Scottish scholar and philosopher born in 1745, who made significant contributions to the field of ethics and moral philosophy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vaden
Among Census respondents with the surname Vaden, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.2%. The next largest groups are Black (24.0%) and Hispanic (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Vaden 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 Vaden surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White66.2% · 1,970
- Black or African American24.0% · 715
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 137
- Two or more races4.2% · 124
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vaden
Vaden 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
#10,006
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,222
+187 bearers (+6.2%)
Per 100,000 1.09
Rank movement Down 178 places
2020
#10,288
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,978
-244 bearers (-7.6%)
Per 100,000 1.00
Rank movement Down 282 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,828 | 3,035 | 1.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,006 | 3,222 | 1.09 | +187 bearers (+6.2%) | Down 178 places |
| 2020 | #10,288 | 2,978 | 1.00 | -244 bearers (-7.6%) | Down 282 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 Vaden 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 | #10,006 | #10,288 | -2.8% |
| Count | 3,222 | 2,978 | -7.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.09 | 1.00 | -8.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vaden bearers went from 3,222 to 2,978 (-7.6% change). The surname moved down 282 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,006 to #10,288.
FAQ
Vaden surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vaden?
Name Census estimates that about 3,415 living Americans carry the surname Vaden. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 100,367 residents.
How common is Vaden?
Vaden ranks #10,288 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.00 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,978 people with the surname Vaden. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,415), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.00 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Vaden.
Has Vaden become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vaden went from 3,222 recorded bearers to 2,978. That is a decrease of 244 (-7.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,006 to #10,288.
What does the Census say about the background of Vaden?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vaden, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.2%. The next largest groups are Black (24.0%) and Hispanic (4.6%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Vaden in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.2% (1,970 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vaden appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (66.2%), Black (24.0%), Hispanic (4.6%). 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 Vaden (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 Vaden mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "ford" in Old English, likely referring to someone who lived near a ford. 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 Vaden (1.00 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 many people have the surname Vaden?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.