2010
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Valian
An Armenian surname potentially derived from the Persian word "valian" meaning powerful or mighty.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Valian. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Valian 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Valian in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Valian, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.9%. The next largest groups are Black (21.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (8.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Valian
The surname Valian is believed to have originated in the Basque region of northern Spain and southern France during the medieval period. It is derived from the Basque word "balia," which means "value" or "worth," suggesting that the name may have been given to someone of high regard or importance within the community.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Valian can be found in the Codex Calixtinus, a 12th-century manuscript that served as a guidebook for pilgrims traveling the Camino de Santiago. This document mentions a certain Sancho Valian, who was a prominent landowner and benefactor along the pilgrimage route.
In the 13th century, the name Valian appeared in several historical records from the Kingdom of Navarre, where it was often associated with noble families and landowners. One notable figure from this era was García Valian, a knight who fought alongside King Sancho VII during the Navarrese Civil War (1276-1277).
During the 15th century, the Valian family gained prominence in the region of Gipuzkoa, in the Spanish Basque Country. Juan Valian (1420-1489) was a prominent merchant and shipowner who played a crucial role in the development of the lucrative Basque whaling industry in the Bay of Biscay.
In the 16th century, the name Valian spread beyond the Basque region as a result of migration and trade. One notable figure from this period was Rodrigo Valian (1525-1587), a Spanish explorer and navigator who accompanied the Álvaro de Mendaña expedition to the Solomon Islands in the Pacific Ocean.
Another significant figure bearing the surname Valian was Catalina Valian (1568-1632), a Basque noblewoman and landowner who was renowned for her philanthropic efforts and support of education in the region. She founded several schools and endowed scholarships for underprivileged students.
While the Valian surname has its roots in the Basque Country, it has since spread to other parts of Spain, as well as to countries with significant Spanish and Basque diaspora populations, such as Argentina, Mexico, and the United States.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Valian
Among Census respondents with the surname Valian, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.9%. The next largest groups are Black (21.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (8.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Valian 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 Valian surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White63.9% · 69
- Black or African American21.3% · 23
- Asian and Pacific Islander8.3% · 9
- Two or more races4.6% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Valian
Valian 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
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-4 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,682 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 3,682 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 Valian 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 | #147,253 | #150,935 | -2.5% |
| Count | 112 | 108 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Valian bearers went from 112 to 108 (-3.6% change). The surname moved down 3,682 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #150,935.
FAQ
Valian surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Valian?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Valian. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Valian?
Valian ranks #150,935 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 108 people with the surname Valian. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), 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 Valian.
Has Valian become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Valian went from 112 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #147,253 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Valian?
Among Census respondents with the surname Valian, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.9%. The next largest groups are Black (21.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (8.3%). 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 Valian in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.9% (69 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Valian appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (63.9%), Black (21.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (8.3%). 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 Valian (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 Valian mean?
An Armenian surname potentially derived from the Persian word "valian" meaning powerful or mighty. 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 Valian (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 Valian?
See how many people have the last name Valian on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.