2000
#55,237
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 348
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.13
Very Rare Last name
Vakil
A surname referring to a royal minister, ambassador or representative.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 732 Americans carry the last name Vakil. That puts it at #37,492 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 468,244 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vakil 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Vakil with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
732
1 in 468,244
Census rank
#37,492
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
638
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 638 bearers of the surname Vakil in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 37492nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vakil, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 75.5%. The next largest groups are White (15.8%) and Two or More Races (7.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vakil
The surname VAKIL originates from the Indian subcontinent, specifically from the Persian language. It can be traced back to the 16th century, during the Mughal Empire era, when the term "vakil" referred to a person who acted as an advocate, attorney, or representative in legal matters.
VAKIL is derived from the Arabic word "wakil," which means "agent" or "representative." During the Mughal period, the term was commonly used to address legal professionals who represented clients in courts or assisted with legal documentation. The name likely emerged as a occupational surname for individuals engaged in such legal roles.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname VAKIL can be found in the "Ain-i-Akbari," a 16th-century administrative manual written during the reign of Mughal Emperor Akbar. The text mentions several individuals with the surname VAKIL who held prominent positions in the imperial court.
In the 17th century, the VAKIL family gained prominence in the city of Hyderabad, which was then under the rule of the Nizam of Hyderabad. Mir Nizam Ali Khan Vakil, born in 1676, was a prominent scholar and poet who served as the Prime Minister (Vakil-e-Saltanat) of Hyderabad during the reign of Nizam Ali Khan, Asaf Jah II.
Another notable figure with the surname VAKIL was Rahmatullah Vakil, a 19th-century Indian lawyer and judge who served as the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court from 1861 to 1867. He was instrumental in shaping the legal system in British India.
In the 20th century, Sir Muhammad Iqbal Vakil, born in 1915, was a prominent Pakistani lawyer and judge who served as the Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court from 1970 to 1977. He played a significant role in interpreting and upholding the constitution of Pakistan.
The surname VAKIL has also been associated with various place names in India, such as Vakil Bazar, a historic market area in Surat, Gujarat, and Vakil Garden, a famous garden in Hyderabad, Telangana, which was commissioned by the Vakil family during the Nizam's rule.
While the surname VAKIL has its roots in the legal profession, over time, it has become a widely recognized surname among various communities in South Asia, particularly in India and Pakistan, transcending its original occupational connotation.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vakil
Among Census respondents with the surname Vakil, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 75.5%. The next largest groups are White (15.8%) and Two or More Races (7.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Vakil 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 Vakil surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander75.5% · 482
- White15.8% · 101
- Two or more races7.5% · 48
- Black or African American0.5% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino0.5% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vakil
Vakil 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
#41,728
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 521
+173 bearers (+49.7%)
Per 100,000 0.18
Rank movement Up 13,509 places
2020
#37,492
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 638
+117 bearers (+22.5%)
Per 100,000 0.21
Rank movement Up 4,236 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #55,237 | 348 | 0.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #41,728 | 521 | 0.18 | +173 bearers (+49.7%) | Up 13,509 places |
| 2020 | #37,492 | 638 | 0.21 | +117 bearers (+22.5%) | Up 4,236 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 Vakil 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 | #41,728 | #37,492 | 10.2% |
| Count | 521 | 638 | 22.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.18 | 0.21 | 18.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vakil bearers went from 521 to 638 (+22.5% change). The surname moved up 4,236 positions in the national ranking, going from #41,728 to #37,492.
FAQ
Vakil surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vakil?
Name Census estimates that about 732 living Americans carry the surname Vakil. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 468,244 residents.
How common is Vakil?
Vakil ranks #37,492 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.21 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 638 people with the surname Vakil. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (732), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.21 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 Vakil.
Has Vakil become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vakil went from 521 recorded bearers to 638. That is an increase of 117 (+22.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #41,728 to #37,492.
What does the Census say about the background of Vakil?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vakil, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 75.5%. The next largest groups are White (15.8%) and Two or More Races (7.5%). 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 Vakil in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.5% (482 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vakil appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (75.5%), White (15.8%), Two or More Races (7.5%). 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 Vakil (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 Vakil mean?
A surname referring to a royal minister, ambassador or representative. 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 Vakil (0.21 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 Vakil?
Want to know how common the surname Vakil is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.