2000
#14,302
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,921
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.71
Rare Last name
Vartanian
Derived from the Armenian word "vartan," meaning "rose" or "shield," likely referring to an ancestor's characteristics or occupation.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,299 Americans carry the last name Vartanian. That puts it at #14,354 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 149,088 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vartanian 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
2.3K
1 in 149,088
Census rank
#14,354
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,005 bearers of the surname Vartanian in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14354th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vartanian, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vartanian
The surname Vartanian has its origins in Armenia, a country located in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, around the 11th or 12th century.
The name Vartanian is derived from the Armenian word "vartanian," which means "son of a rose gardener." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname were likely involved in the cultivation and care of rose gardens, a practice with a long history in Armenian culture.
One of the earliest documented references to the name Vartanian can be found in an Armenian manuscript from the 13th century, which mentions a person named Vartan Vartanian, who was a renowned scholar and calligrapher of that era.
In the 15th century, a prominent figure named Hovhannes Vartanian served as the chief architect and constructor of several churches and monasteries in Armenia, including the famous Khor Virap Monastery near Mount Ararat.
During the 17th century, a Vartanian family established a successful trading business in the city of New Julfa, a Armenian quarter in Isfahan, Persia (modern-day Iran). This family played a significant role in the economic and cultural life of the Armenian community in that region.
One notable individual with the surname Vartanian was Mikayel Vartanian (1856-1908), an Armenian revolutionary and one of the founders of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, also known as the Dashnaktsutyun party.
Another prominent figure was Hrant Vartanian (1871-1917), an Armenian writer, journalist, and editor who played a crucial role in the development of modern Armenian literature and was a leading voice in the Armenian national liberation movement.
In the 20th century, Sergey Vartanian (1920-1995) was a Soviet Armenian diplomat and politician who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic from 1962 to 1985.
Ara Vartanian (1923-2015) was an Armenian-American sculptor and artist, known for his monumental public artworks and sculptures that celebrated Armenian culture and heritage.
It is worth noting that the Vartanian surname is not confined to Armenia alone; it has spread to various parts of the world due to the Armenian diaspora, with notable bearers of the name found in countries like the United States, France, and Russia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vartanian
Among Census respondents with the surname Vartanian, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Vartanian 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 Vartanian surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.1% · 1,867
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 68
- Two or more races2.5% · 50
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 11
- Black or African American0.2% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vartanian
Vartanian 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
#14,599
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,039
+118 bearers (+6.1%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Down 297 places
2020
#14,354
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,005
-34 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Up 245 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,302 | 1,921 | 0.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,599 | 2,039 | 0.69 | +118 bearers (+6.1%) | Down 297 places |
| 2020 | #14,354 | 2,005 | 0.67 | -34 bearers (-1.7%) | Up 245 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 Vartanian 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 | #14,599 | #14,354 | 1.7% |
| Count | 2,039 | 2,005 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.69 | 0.67 | -2.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vartanian bearers went from 2,039 to 2,005 (-1.7% change). The surname moved up 245 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,599 to #14,354.
FAQ
Vartanian surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vartanian?
Name Census estimates that about 2,299 living Americans carry the surname Vartanian. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 149,088 residents.
How common is Vartanian?
Vartanian ranks #14,354 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.67 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 2,005 people with the surname Vartanian. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,299), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.67 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 Vartanian.
Has Vartanian become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vartanian went from 2,039 recorded bearers to 2,005. That is a decrease of 34 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,599 to #14,354.
What does the Census say about the background of Vartanian?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vartanian, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Vartanian in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (1,867 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vartanian appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.1%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Vartanian (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 Vartanian mean?
Derived from the Armenian word "vartan," meaning "rose" or "shield," likely referring to an ancestor's characteristics or occupation. 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 Vartanian (0.67 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 Americans have the surname Vartanian?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.