2010
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Vancelette
A surname derived from a diminutive form of the French place name Vancelles.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Vancelette. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vancelette 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Vancelette in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vancelette, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.2%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vancelette
The surname Vancelette has its origins in France, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old French words "vance" and "lette," which together could translate to "small valley" or "small clearing." This suggests that the name may have originated as a descriptive term for someone living in a small valley or clearing.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Vancelette can be found in the 13th-century cartulary of the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés in Paris. The document refers to a certain "Radulphus de Vancelette," indicating that the name was already in use during that period.
In the 14th century, a branch of the Vancelette family is said to have settled in the Burgundy region of eastern France. Records from that time show variations in spelling, such as "Vancellette" and "Vanscelette," which were likely influenced by local dialects.
During the Renaissance period, a notable figure bearing the name Vancelette was Jean Vancelette (1510-1578), a French jurist and legal scholar who served as a counselor in the Parliament of Paris. His works on French customary law were widely influential in his time.
In the 17th century, the Vancelette family had a presence in the region of Normandy, as evidenced by the birth of Jacques Vancelette (1625-1701) in the town of Coutances. Jacques later became a respected priest and served as the vicar of the parish of Saint-Pierre-de-Coutances.
Another prominent individual with the surname Vancelette was Marie-Anne Vancelette (1718-1795), a French writer and philosopher who was active during the Age of Enlightenment. Her works explored themes of morality and virtue, and she was part of the intellectual circles of her time.
Throughout the centuries, the name Vancelette has maintained a presence in various regions of France, with some families eventually migrating to other parts of Europe and the world. While not a particularly widespread surname, it remains a part of the rich tapestry of French onomastic heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vancelette
Among Census respondents with the surname Vancelette, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.2%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Vancelette 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 Vancelette surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.3% · 98
- Hispanic or Latino7.2% · 8
- Two or more races2.7% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vancelette
Vancelette 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
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-4 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,524 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.5%) | Down 4,524 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 Vancelette 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 | #144,141 | #148,665 | -3.1% |
| Count | 115 | 111 | -3.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vancelette bearers went from 115 to 111 (-3.5% change). The surname moved down 4,524 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #148,665.
FAQ
Vancelette surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vancelette?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Vancelette. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Vancelette?
Vancelette ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Vancelette. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Vancelette.
Has Vancelette become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vancelette went from 115 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Vancelette?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vancelette, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.2%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Vancelette in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.3% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vancelette appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.3%), Hispanic (7.2%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Vancelette (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 Vancelette mean?
A surname derived from a diminutive form of the French place name Vancelles. 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 Vancelette (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 common is the surname Vancelette?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Vancelette? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.