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

Vanier, 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 Vanier surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Vanier in America

Vanier is the 39659th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Vanier surname appeared 554 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 Vanier.

We can also compare 2010 data for Vanier 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.

The history of the last name Vanier

The surname Vanier originated in France, with the earliest records dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old French word "vaner," which means "to winnow grain." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who worked as a winnower or someone who lived near a place where grain was winnowed.

One of the earliest known references to the name Vanier can be found in the Livre des Bourgeois de Paris, a medieval register of the citizens of Paris, from the year 1292. The name appears as "Vaneir," which is likely an earlier spelling variation.

In the 14th century, the name Vanier was recorded in various regions of France, including Normandy, Brittany, and the Île-de-France region around Paris. This suggests that the name had spread across different parts of the country by that time.

A notable early bearer of the name was Jean Vanier, a French courtier and diplomat who lived in the 15th century. He served as a counselor to King Charles VII and was involved in the negotiations that led to the Treaty of Arras in 1435.

Another historically significant figure with the surname Vanier was Jacques Vanier (1515-1572), a French Protestant theologian and reformer who was a follower of John Calvin. He played a role in the spread of Calvinism in France during the Protestant Reformation.

In the 17th century, the name Vanier appeared in the records of New France (present-day Quebec, Canada), indicating that some individuals with this surname had emigrated from France to the colonies in North America. One such individual was Pierre Vanier (1637-1703), who settled in Quebec and became a prominent merchant and landowner.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, the Vanier surname continued to be found in various parts of France, as well as in French-speaking regions of Canada and the United States. Notable individuals from this period include Jean-Baptiste Vanier (1788-1857), a French-Canadian politician and businessman who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada.

In the 20th century, one of the most notable bearers of the Vanier surname was Jean Vanier (1928-2019), a Canadian philosopher, theologian, and humanitarian. He founded the L'Arche communities, which provide homes and support for people with intellectual disabilities, and was awarded numerous honors for his work, including the Templeton Prize in 2015.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Vanier

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

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 Vanier was:

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 Vanier has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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 Vanier was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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