2000
#150,436
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Valance
A surname derived from the French word "valence," referring to someone from the town of Valence.
According to the 2010 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 137 Americans carry the last name Valance. That puts it at #153,769 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,501,856 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Valance 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.
Valance appeared in the 2010 Census surname file but was not included in the published 2020 file. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames with at least 100 recorded bearers, so this usually means the name fell below that threshold.
Bearers in the US
137
1 in 2,501,856
Census rank
#153,769
2010 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Valance in its 2010 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153769th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Valance, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Valance
The surname Valance originates from France and dates back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "valance," which referred to a type of decorative hanging or curtain often found in castles and manors of the time. The name likely originated as a occupational surname for those who made or sold these valances.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname Valance can be found in the 13th century in the region of Normandy, France. It appears in various records and manuscripts from that era, often spelled as "Valence" or "Valaunce." One notable early bearer of the name was Jean Valance, a merchant from Rouen who was mentioned in a trade document dated 1276.
In the 14th century, the name Valance began to spread beyond Normandy to other parts of France, as well as to England and Scotland, likely due to the Norman conquest of England in 1066. The surname is found in the Hundred Rolls of Huntingdonshire, England from 1273, which lists a Willelmus de Valance.
In the 15th century, the Valance family had established itself in the Scottish Lowlands, particularly in the regions of Ayrshire and Lanarkshire. One notable member of this Scottish branch was Sir John Valance, a knight who fought in the Battle of Flodden Field in 1513.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Valance continued to be found throughout England, Scotland, and France. Notable bearers of the name during this period include Thomas Valance (1576-1647), an English clergyman and author, and Jacques Valance (1605-1678), a French mathematician and astronomer.
In the 18th century, the Valance family had established branches in Ireland and the American colonies. One notable American bearer of the name was John Valance (1738-1812), a soldier and landowner in Virginia who fought in the Revolutionary War.
Other notable individuals with the surname Valance throughout history include Wilbur Valance (1868-1940), an American politician and lawyer, and Armand Valance (1887-1966), a French painter and sculptor associated with the Cubist movement.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Valance
Among Census respondents with the surname Valance, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Valance bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2010 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 Valance surname at the time of the 2010 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.0%
- Hispanic or Latino14.2%
- Unknown or suppressed2.8%
Timeline
Historical Census data for Valance
Valance appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
+6 bearers (+6.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,333 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #150,436 | 100 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+6.0%) | Down 3,333 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
2000 vs 2010 Census
How has the Valance surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20002010
| Metric | 2000 | 2010 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #150,436 | #153,769 | -2.2% |
| Count | 100 | 106 | 6.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.0% |
Between the 2000 and 2010 Census, the number of Valance bearers went from 100 to 106 (+6.0% change). The surname moved down 3,333 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,436 to #153,769.
FAQ
Valance surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Valance?
Name Census estimates that about 137 living Americans carry the surname Valance. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,501,856 residents.
How common is Valance?
Valance ranks #153,769 in the 2010 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 2010 Census file counted 106 people with the surname Valance. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (137), 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 Valance.
Has Valance become more or less common over time?
Between 2000 and 2010, the surname Valance went from 100 recorded bearers to 106. That is an increase of 6 (+6.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #150,436 to #153,769.
What does the Census say about the background of Valance?
Among Census respondents with the surname Valance, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.2%). These figures come from the 2010 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 Valance in the 2010 Census, accounting for 83.0%.
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Valance appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2010 file are White (83.0%), Hispanic (14.2%).
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Not necessarily. Valance appears here with 2010 Census data, while the latest surname file loaded on Name Census is 2020. When a surname drops below the Census publication threshold, older rows can still be kept for historical reference even if the name no longer appears in the newest file.
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 Valance mean?
A surname derived from the French word "valence," referring to someone from the town of Valence. 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 2010 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 Valance (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 Americans have the surname Valance?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.