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

Vanson, 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 Vanson surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Vanson in America

Vanson is the 76275th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Vanson surname appeared 252 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 Vanson.

We can also compare 2010 data for Vanson 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 Vanson

The surname VANSON originated in England during the late medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the given name "Vane," which itself comes from the Old English word "fana" meaning "banner" or "flag." The name likely referred to someone who carried a banner or standard, perhaps in military service.

The earliest known record of the surname appears in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, where one "William Vaneson" is listed in Suffolk. By the 14th century, the name had spread to various parts of England, appearing in records with spellings like Vanson, Vansun, and Vaneson.

One notable early bearer of the name was John Vanson, a merchant and alderman who lived in London during the late 15th century. He is mentioned in records from the Court of Aldermen in 1486.

In the 16th century, the VANSON surname can be found in the parish records of several English villages, including Brading on the Isle of Wight, where a family by the name of Vanson resided for generations.

During the 17th century, a branch of the Vanson family settled in the village of Exton, Rutland. One of their descendants, William Vanson (1635-1712), became a noted scholar and clergyman, serving as the Rector of Exton and Archdeacon of Leicester.

Another prominent figure was Sir John Vanson (1712-1784), a wealthy merchant and landowner from Yorkshire. He served as Sheriff of Yorkshire in 1757 and was knighted by King George III in 1761.

In the 19th century, the name VANSON appeared in several literary works, including the novel "The Heir of Redclyffe" by Charlotte M. Yonge, where a character named Mr. Vanson is mentioned.

Despite its English origins, the surname VANSON has also been found in other parts of the world, likely due to migration and intermarriage over the centuries. However, the bulk of historical records and notable bearers of the name can be traced back to England.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Vanson

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!