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

Variste, 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 Variste surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Variste in America

Variste is the 117480th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Variste surname appeared 148 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 Variste.

We can also compare 2010 data for Variste 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 Variste

The surname Variste is of French origin, first appearing in historical records during the 12th century. It is believed to have originated from the Old French word "varist", meaning "to vary" or "to change". This suggests that the name may have initially been given as a descriptive name to someone who was known for their adaptability or changing nature.

The earliest known record of the surname Variste can be found in the Cartulaire de l'abbaye de Saint-Père de Chartres, a medieval cartulary from the Abbey of Saint-Père in Chartres, France, dating back to the late 12th century. This document mentions a certain "Robertus Variste" who was a landowner in the region.

In the 13th century, the Variste surname appears to have spread to other parts of northern France, particularly in the regions of Normandy and Picardy. There are references to individuals with this surname in various medieval charters and land records from these areas.

One notable bearer of the Variste name was Jean Variste, a French merchant and explorer who lived in the late 15th century. Born in Rouen in 1452, he is known for his travels to the West African coast and his writings on the region's geography and culture.

During the 16th century, the Variste surname gained recognition in the arts and literature. François Variste (1510-1572) was a renowned French painter and sculptor from Paris, known for his religious works and portraiture commissioned by the French nobility.

Another prominent figure with this surname was Marie Variste (1598-1665), a French poet and playwright from Dijon. Her works, including several plays and a collection of sonnets, were widely acclaimed during her lifetime and helped establish her reputation as one of the leading female writers of the French Renaissance.

In the 17th century, the Variste surname was also found in the southern regions of France, particularly in the areas around Marseille and Montpellier. Records from this period show individuals with this name working as merchants, artisans, and landowners.

One notable example is Pierre Variste (1624-1698), a wealthy merchant from Marseille who played a significant role in the city's maritime trade with the Mediterranean and the Levant regions. His name appears in various shipping and trade documents from that era.

As the Variste surname spread across France over the centuries, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Variste, Varist, Varistes, and Varistel. These variations can be found in historical records and documents from different regions and time periods.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Variste

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Variste, 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!