2000
#30,264
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 730
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.27
Very Rare Last name
Varady
A surname originating from Hungary, representing someone from the town of Várad.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 828 Americans carry the last name Varady. That puts it at #33,884 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.24 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 413,955 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Varady 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
828
1 in 413,955
Census rank
#33,884
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
722
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 722 bearers of the surname Varady in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.24 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 33884th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Varady, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.5%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Varady
The surname Varady has its origins in Hungary, dating back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Hungarian word "varad," which means fortress or castle. This suggests that the name may have initially been associated with individuals who lived near or worked in a fortified structure.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Varady can be found in the Rationes Collectorum Pontificiorum, a 14th-century document that recorded the payment of papal taxes in Hungary. This document mentions a certain "Nicolaus Varady" from the Diocese of Vac in 1333.
During the 15th century, the name Varady appears in several Hungarian chronicles and records. For instance, the Chronica Hungarorum, written by János Thuróczy in 1488, mentions a nobleman named Péter Varady who served as the Bishop of Eger from 1468 to 1511.
The Varady surname is also linked to various place names in Hungary, such as Várad (now called Oradea, located in present-day Romania) and Nagyvárad (now called Oradea Mare). These place names are derived from the same root word as the surname, suggesting a possible connection between the name and individuals who originated from or lived in these fortified towns.
One notable historical figure with the surname Varady was Pál Varady (1610-1669), a Hungarian Catholic prelate who served as the Bishop of Veszprém and later as the Archbishop of Esztergom. He played a significant role in the Counter-Reformation in Hungary and was a staunch supporter of the Jesuit Order.
Another prominent individual was István Varady (1765-1811), a Hungarian poet and translator who was influential in the Hungarian literary revival of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. His translations of classical works, such as those by Ovid and Virgil, helped to popularize and promote the Hungarian language.
In the 19th century, the Varady surname was also associated with the notable Hungarian writer and journalist, János Varady (1838-1890). He was a prominent figure in the Hungarian literary scene and served as the editor of several influential publications, including the Pesti Napló and the Fővárosi Lapok.
Géza Varady (1876-1964) was a Hungarian-American engineer and inventor who made significant contributions to the field of telecommunications. He held numerous patents and was responsible for developing the first successful wideband amplifier, which revolutionized long-distance communication.
The surname Varady has also been found in other Central and Eastern European countries, such as Croatia, Serbia, and Slovakia, likely due to migration and intermarriage among Hungarian communities in these regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Varady
Among Census respondents with the surname Varady, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.5%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Varady 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 Varady surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.2% · 637
- Hispanic or Latino7.5% · 54
- Two or more races3.2% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 3
- Black or African American0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Varady
Varady 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
#32,438
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 709
-21 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.24
Rank movement Down 2,174 places
2020
#33,884
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 722
+13 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.24
Rank movement Down 1,446 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #30,264 | 730 | 0.27 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #32,438 | 709 | 0.24 | -21 bearers (-2.9%) | Down 2,174 places |
| 2020 | #33,884 | 722 | 0.24 | +13 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 1,446 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 Varady 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 | #32,438 | #33,884 | -4.5% |
| Count | 709 | 722 | 1.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.24 | 0.24 | 0.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Varady bearers went from 709 to 722 (+1.8% change). The surname moved down 1,446 positions in the national ranking, going from #32,438 to #33,884.
FAQ
Varady surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Varady?
Name Census estimates that about 828 living Americans carry the surname Varady. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 413,955 residents.
How common is Varady?
Varady ranks #33,884 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.24 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 722 people with the surname Varady. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (828), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.24 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.24 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 Varady.
Has Varady become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Varady went from 709 recorded bearers to 722. That is an increase of 13 (+1.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #32,438 to #33,884.
What does the Census say about the background of Varady?
Among Census respondents with the surname Varady, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.5%) and Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Varady in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.2% (637 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Varady appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.2%), Hispanic (7.5%), Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Varady (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 Varady mean?
A surname originating from Hungary, representing someone from the town of Várad. 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 Varady (0.24 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 Varady?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Varady, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.