Find out how popular the last name Vailes is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Vailes.

Vailes, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Vailes surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Vailes in America

Vailes is the 68345th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Vailes surname appeared 288 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Vailes.

We can also compare 2010 data for Vailes to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Vailes

The surname Vailes originates from England and dates back to the late medieval period. It is believed to be a locational name derived from the Old French word "val," meaning "valley." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived near a valley or in a valley area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Vailes can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1195, where it appears as "de Vales." This entry suggests that the name may have originated from a place name such as Vaux or Vales, which were both common placenames in medieval England.

In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, the name is listed as "Vaylle," indicating that various spellings were used during that time period. The Vailes surname is also mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire from 1327, where it is spelled as "Vaylis."

One notable individual bearing the Vailes surname was John Vailes, a member of the Guild of St. Mary in Boston, Lincolnshire, in the late 15th century. Another early record comes from the Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk in 1524, which mention a William Vailes.

In the 16th century, the name appears in various parish records across England. For instance, the marriage of Margery Vailes and John Thorne is recorded in the parish registers of St. Giles, Cripplegate, London, in 1589.

During the 17th century, the Vailes surname can be found in various legal documents and records. One example is Richard Vailes, who is mentioned in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury Wills in 1620.

Another notable figure was Thomas Vailes, born in 1655 in Oxfordshire, who was a renowned Quaker minister and author. He wrote several religious works, including "The Life and Spiritual Travels of that Antient and Faithful Servant of Christ, Thomas Vailes," published in 1717.

In the 18th century, the name appears in various birth, marriage, and death records across England. One notable individual was John Vailes, born in 1732 in Lincolnshire, who served as a captain in the British Army during the American Revolutionary War.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Vailes

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Vailes.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Vailes was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Vailes has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Vailes was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Vailes, please contact us.

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