Vane last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Vane is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Vane.

Meaning of Vane

A surname likely derived from the English place name 'Vane' or 'Vain', referring to someone who lived near a vane.

Vane, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Vane surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Vane in America

Vane is the 39486th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Vane surname appeared 557 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Vane.

We can also compare 2010 data for Vane to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 39486 32609 19.08%
Count 557 664 -17.53%
Proportion per 100k 0.19 0.25 -27.27%

The history of the last name Vane

The surname Vane is of Anglo-Saxon origin and is believed to have derived from the Old English word "fana" or "fane," meaning a flag, banner, or weathervane. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to a flag-bearer or someone responsible for carrying a banner, perhaps in a military or ceremonial context.

The name Vane can be traced back to various areas of England, particularly in the northern counties of Yorkshire, Durham, and Northumberland. It is also found in records from the 13th century, such as the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it appears as "de la Vane" and "de la Vayne."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Vane is in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Vane" and "de Vane." This suggests that the name was already well-established in England by the time of the Norman Conquest.

The Vane family has a long and distinguished history in England. Sir Henry Vane the Elder (1589-1655) was a prominent statesman and colonial governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony. His son, Sir Henry Vane the Younger (1613-1662), was a leading figure in the English Civil War and a member of the Parliamentary side.

Another notable figure bearing the surname Vane was Sir Francis Vane (1564-1609), an English diplomat and Member of Parliament. He served as the English ambassador to Denmark and France during the reign of King James I.

In the 18th century, Sir Walter Vane (1712-1789) was a British naval officer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for various constituencies. He also held the position of First Lord of the Admiralty from 1769 to 1770.

The Vane family has also been associated with several place names in England, such as Vane Tempest in Durham and Vane Farm in Lincolnshire. These place names may have originally referred to areas owned or occupied by individuals bearing the surname Vane.

Throughout its history, the surname Vane has undergone various spellings, including Vaine, Vaine, and Vayne, reflecting the evolution of language and regional variations in pronunciation and spelling.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Vane

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Vane.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Vane was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 86.18% 480
Non-Hispanic Black Only 5.92% 33
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 3.23% 18
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 2.15% 12
Hispanic Origin 2.51% 14

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Vane has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 86.18% 87.50% -1.52%
Black 5.92% 4.37% 30.13%
Asian and Pacific Islander 3.23% 3.92% -19.30%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races 2.15% (S)% (S)%
Hispanic 2.51% 2.41% 4.07%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Vane was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Vane, please contact us.

Reference this page

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"Vane last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 25, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/vane-surname-popularity/.

"Vane last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/vane-surname-popularity/. Accessed 25 November, 2024

Vane last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/vane-surname-popularity/.

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