2000
#7,730
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,963
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.47
Rare Last name
Vannoy
A French occupational surname derived from "vannier," referring to a basket maker or worker with wicker or reeds.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,448 Americans carry the last name Vannoy. That puts it at #8,175 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.30 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 77,058 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vannoy 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
4.4K
1 in 77,058
Census rank
#8,175
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,879 bearers of the surname Vannoy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.30 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8175th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vannoy, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.2%. The next largest groups are Black (5.1%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vannoy
The surname Vannoy has its origins in France, with the earliest known records dating back to the 12th century. The name is believed to be derived from the Old French word "vanne," which means "winnowing fan" or "fan for separating grain from chaff." This suggests that the earliest bearers of the name may have been involved in agriculture or the production of grain.
The name Vannoy can be traced to the regions of Normandy and Brittany in northern France. In the early medieval period, these areas were home to a significant population of Bretons, a Celtic people who spoke the Breton language. It is possible that the name has its origins in this linguistic and cultural context.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Domesday Book, a survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The entry mentions a person named "Vanne" who held land in the county of Devon.
Over the centuries, the name underwent various spelling variations, including Vannoy, Vannoi, Vannoye, and Vannoix. These variations likely reflect regional dialects and the influence of different scribes who recorded the name in historical documents.
Notable individuals with the surname Vannoy include:
1. Jeremiah Vannoy (1777-1842), an American pioneer and frontiersman who established settlements in Kentucky and Indiana.
2. William Vannoy (1811-1892), a American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.
3. Nellie Vannoy (1856-1936), an American educator and suffragist who advocated for women's rights and played a crucial role in the women's suffrage movement in California.
4. Jean-Baptiste Vannoy (1848-1920), a French journalist and writer known for his novels and short stories set in the rural regions of France.
5. Edith Vannoy (1890-1976), an American artist and illustrator who was renowned for her portraiture and landscape paintings, particularly those depicting scenes from the American West.
The surname Vannoy has a rich history that spans centuries and continents, with its roots firmly planted in the agricultural traditions of medieval France. While the name may have evolved in spelling and pronunciation over time, its enduring presence across generations serves as a testament to the resilience and adaptability of family names in the face of cultural and linguistic shifts.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vannoy
Among Census respondents with the surname Vannoy, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.2%. The next largest groups are Black (5.1%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Vannoy 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 Vannoy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.2% · 3,267
- Black or African American5.1% · 196
- Two or more races4.8% · 185
- Hispanic or Latino4.7% · 181
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 29
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 21
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vannoy
Vannoy appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#8,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,991
+28 bearers (+0.7%)
Per 100,000 1.35
Rank movement Down 574 places
2020
#8,175
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,879
-112 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 1.30
Rank movement Up 129 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,730 | 3,963 | 1.47 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,304 | 3,991 | 1.35 | +28 bearers (+0.7%) | Down 574 places |
| 2020 | #8,175 | 3,879 | 1.30 | -112 bearers (-2.8%) | Up 129 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 Vannoy 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 | #8,304 | #8,175 | 1.6% |
| Count | 3,991 | 3,879 | -2.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.35 | 1.30 | -3.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vannoy bearers went from 3,991 to 3,879 (-2.8% change). The surname moved up 129 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,304 to #8,175.
FAQ
Vannoy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vannoy?
Name Census estimates that about 4,448 living Americans carry the surname Vannoy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 77,058 residents.
How common is Vannoy?
Vannoy ranks #8,175 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.30 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,879 people with the surname Vannoy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,448), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.3 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.30 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Vannoy.
Has Vannoy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vannoy went from 3,991 recorded bearers to 3,879. That is a decrease of 112 (-2.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,304 to #8,175.
What does the Census say about the background of Vannoy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vannoy, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.2%. The next largest groups are Black (5.1%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Vannoy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.2% (3,267 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vannoy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.2%), Black (5.1%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Vannoy (2000, 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 Vannoy mean?
A French occupational surname derived from "vannier," referring to a basket maker or worker with wicker or reeds. 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 Vannoy (1.30 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 have the last name Vannoy?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Vannoy on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.