2000
#117,538
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 137
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Vagenas
A Greek surname derived from the word "vageios" meaning gardener or vegetable-seller.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 149 Americans carry the last name Vagenas. That puts it at #134,631 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,300,365 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vagenas 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
149
1 in 2,300,365
Census rank
#134,631
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
130
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 130 bearers of the surname Vagenas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 134631st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vagenas, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.2%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vagenas
The surname VAGENAS has its origins in Greece, tracing back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Greek word "vagena," which means a small valley or a ravine. This suggests that the name's earliest bearers may have resided in or near such a geographical feature.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the VAGENAS surname appears in a manuscript from the island of Crete, dated around 1580. The document mentions a certain Ioannis VAGENAS, a landowner in the village of Anogeia. This village is situated in a mountainous area, lending credence to the theory of the name's connection to a ravine-like terrain.
In the 17th century, the VAGENAS name can be found in various historical records from the Peloponnese region of Greece. Notably, a priest named Georgios VAGENAS is mentioned in a church register from the town of Mystras in 1673. Mystras, a former Byzantine stronghold, is known for its rugged landscape and steep ravines, further reinforcing the name's etymological roots.
Moving into the 18th century, the VAGENAS surname appears to have spread to other parts of Greece. One notable bearer was Dimitrios VAGENAS, a merchant and philanthropist from the island of Chios, who lived from 1738 to 1810. He is known for his contributions to the island's educational institutions and his support of the Greek War of Independence.
In the 19th century, the VAGENAS name gained prominence with the rise of Panagiotis VAGENAS, a Greek revolutionary who fought against Ottoman rule. Born in 1821 in the village of Stemnitsa, he played a significant role in the Greek War of Independence and is celebrated as a national hero.
Another notable figure was Konstantinos VAGENAS, a Greek politician and diplomat who lived from 1875 to 1945. He served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs for Greece and played a crucial role in shaping the country's foreign policy during the early 20th century.
Throughout its history, the VAGENAS surname has been associated with various place names and their older spellings, such as Vagena, Vageni, and Vagenis, which further reflect the name's origins and variations across different regions of Greece.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vagenas
Among Census respondents with the surname Vagenas, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.2%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Vagenas 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 Vagenas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.7% · 114
- Hispanic or Latino9.2% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vagenas
Vagenas 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
#123,796
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 139
+2 bearers (+1.5%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 6,258 places
2020
#134,631
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 130
-9 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,835 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #117,538 | 137 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #123,796 | 139 | 0.05 | +2 bearers (+1.5%) | Down 6,258 places |
| 2020 | #134,631 | 130 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 10,835 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 Vagenas 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 | #123,796 | #134,631 | -8.8% |
| Count | 139 | 130 | -6.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vagenas bearers went from 139 to 130 (-6.5% change). The surname moved down 10,835 positions in the national ranking, going from #123,796 to #134,631.
FAQ
Vagenas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vagenas?
Name Census estimates that about 149 living Americans carry the surname Vagenas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,300,365 residents.
How common is Vagenas?
Vagenas ranks #134,631 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 130 people with the surname Vagenas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (149), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Vagenas.
Has Vagenas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vagenas went from 139 recorded bearers to 130. That is a decrease of 9 (-6.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #123,796 to #134,631.
What does the Census say about the background of Vagenas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vagenas, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.2%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.1%). 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 Vagenas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.7% (114 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vagenas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.7%), Hispanic (9.2%), American Indian/Alaska Native (3.1%). 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 Vagenas (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 Vagenas mean?
A Greek surname derived from the word "vageios" meaning gardener or vegetable-seller. 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 Vagenas (0.04 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 Vagenas?
Want to know how common the surname Vagenas is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.