2010
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Vakalahi
A surname likely derived from a Tongan word referring to a noble or high-ranking individual.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Vakalahi. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vakalahi 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Vakalahi in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vakalahi, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 79.5%. The next largest groups are White (12.8%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vakalahi
The surname VAKALAHI has its origins in the Polynesian islands of the South Pacific, particularly in Tonga and Samoa. It is believed to have emerged around the 15th century, when the Tongan and Samoan cultures were flourishing.
The name VAKALAHI is derived from the Tongan words "vaka" meaning "canoe" or "boat" and "lahi" meaning "great" or "large." It is likely that the name was initially bestowed upon skilled seafarers or navigators who excelled in building and piloting large canoes or voyaging vessels.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name VAKALAHI can be found in the oral traditions and genealogies of Tongan and Samoan families, which were meticulously preserved and passed down through generations. These oral histories often mentioned individuals with this surname who were renowned navigators or chiefs.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, as European explorers and missionaries made contact with the Polynesian islands, some written records began to emerge that included the name VAKALAHI. For instance, the journals of Captain James Cook, who visited Tonga in the late 1700s, mentioned encounters with individuals bearing this surname.
One notable individual with the surname VAKALAHI was Siaosi Vakalahi, a Tongan chief and navigator who lived in the early 19th century. He was renowned for his expertise in traditional Polynesian navigation techniques and played a pivotal role in the exploration and settlement of several islands in the region.
Another famous bearer of the VAKALAHI name was Tevita Vakalahi, a Samoan navigator and explorer who lived in the late 18th century. He is credited with leading voyages that discovered and established settlements on several remote Polynesian islands.
In the 19th century, the name VAKALAHI also gained prominence in Hawaii, where several individuals with this surname held positions of influence and leadership. One such person was Keli'ilokalani Vakalahi, a Hawaiian chief and advisor to King Kamehameha III, who lived from 1812 to 1881.
As the centuries passed, the VAKALAHI surname spread beyond the Polynesian islands, with many bearers of the name migrating to other parts of the world. However, the name's deep roots in Tongan and Samoan culture and its association with seafaring and navigation remain an integral part of its history and significance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vakalahi
Among Census respondents with the surname Vakalahi, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 79.5%. The next largest groups are White (12.8%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Vakalahi 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 Vakalahi surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander79.5% · 93
- White12.8% · 15
- Two or more races5.1% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vakalahi
Vakalahi appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+7 bearers (+6.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,125 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.4%) | Up 5,125 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 Vakalahi 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 | #149,395 | #144,270 | 3.4% |
| Count | 110 | 117 | 6.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vakalahi bearers went from 110 to 117 (+6.4% change). The surname moved up 5,125 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #144,270.
FAQ
Vakalahi surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vakalahi?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Vakalahi. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Vakalahi?
Vakalahi ranks #144,270 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 117 people with the surname Vakalahi. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), 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 Vakalahi.
Has Vakalahi become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vakalahi went from 110 recorded bearers to 117. That is an increase of 7 (+6.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #149,395 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Vakalahi?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vakalahi, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 79.5%. The next largest groups are White (12.8%) and Two or More Races (5.1%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Vakalahi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.5% (93 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vakalahi appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (79.5%), White (12.8%), Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Vakalahi (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 Vakalahi mean?
A surname likely derived from a Tongan word referring to a noble or high-ranking individual. 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 Vakalahi (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 many people are called Vakalahi?
Find out how common the surname Vakalahi is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.